Eclipsing Binaries that Don't Eclipse Anymore: The Cessation of Eclipses of the former Eclipsing Binary QX Cas

Details Eclipsing Binaries that Don't Eclipse Anymore: The Cessation of Eclipses of the former Eclipsing Binary QX Cas Eclipsing Binaries that Don't Eclipse Anymore: The Cessation of Eclipses of the former Eclipsing Binary QX Cas

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21343216b&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #432.16; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.301

Other

1

Scientific paper

We report on the cessation of eclipses of the former 6-day eclipsing binary QX Cas. In 1954 QX Cas (B1 IV-V + B3 V) was discovered by Erleksova (1954; Astr. Circ. 155) to be a 10th-mag eclipsing binary (P = 6.005 days) in the field of the young open cluster NGC 7790. Subsequently Sandage (1958: ApJ,128,150) and Sandage &Tammann (1969: ApJ,157, 683) obtained accurate photometry of QX Cas that confirmed its eclipsing nature and provided accurate measures of UBV magnitudes and colors. The location of the QX Cas near the turnoff of the upper main-sequence of NGC 7790 confirms its cluster membership. The early light curves display two narrow eclipses with depths of 0.32 mag and 0.28 mag, respectively. Moreover the Min II occurs at 0.37P - indicating a moderately eccentric orbit. To secure modern light curves, we have carried out UBVRI photometry using the 0.8m Four College Automatic Photoelectric Telescope (FCAPT). Photometry was conducted on >110 nights and the observations now cover all the phase-space of the binary. However, this photometry (and overviews of all recent photometry) show no evidence of eclipses. Thus QX Cas is no longer an eclipsing binary! QX Cas joins another former eclipsing binary - SS Lac - that over 20-yrs ago also ceased eclipsing. We present the analysis of previous light curves and the analysis of recent spectroscopy and HST observations of QX Cas to determine its orbital and physical properties. We discuss the reasons that could cause QX Cas to cease eclipsing. These include binary system disruption or an impulsive orbital change from a close encounter with another cluster star or (more likely) orbital perturbations from a putative bound tertiary companion.
This research is supported by NSF/RUI Grants AST05-07542 & AST05-07536 as well as NASA Grant HST-GO 10116 which we gratefully acknowledge.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Eclipsing Binaries that Don't Eclipse Anymore: The Cessation of Eclipses of the former Eclipsing Binary QX Cas does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Eclipsing Binaries that Don't Eclipse Anymore: The Cessation of Eclipses of the former Eclipsing Binary QX Cas, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Eclipsing Binaries that Don't Eclipse Anymore: The Cessation of Eclipses of the former Eclipsing Binary QX Cas will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1703182