Determination of the visual orbit of the spectroscopic binary Alpha Andromedae with submilliarcsecond precision

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (44) References (30) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Determination of the Visual Orbit of the Spectroscopic Binary alpha Andromedae with Submilliarcsecond Precison Pan, Xiaopei ; Shao, Michael ; Colavita, M. M. ; Armstrong, J. T. ; Mozurkewich, David ; Vivekanand, Maddali ; Denison, Craig S. ; Simon, Richard S. ; Johnston, Kenneth J. Abstract The visual orbit of the spectroscopic binary Alpha And is determined independently of spectroscopic data using the Mark III Stellar Interferometer. Observations of Alpha And in 1988 and 1989 clearly demonstrate submilliarcsecond measurement precision at optical wavelengths. All of the orbital elements of Alpha And are calculated utilizing observations from the stellar interferometer only and are in excellent agreement with the spectroscopic results. However, three of these elements can only be obtained from interferometric data. Using both interferometric and spectroscopic observations, the definitive orbital elements are determined including angular semimajor axis, inclination, position angle of ascending node, longitude of periastron, period eccentricity, and epoch of periastron passage. In addition, the magnitude difference between the two components is measured, yielding delta-m = 1.82 +/- 0.04 mag at 800 nm and delta-m = 1.99 +/- 0.04 mag at 550 nm. Incorporating photometric observations, the color indices between 550 nm and 800 nm for the primary and the companion are determined as -0.11 +/- 0.03 mag +0.07 +/- 0.05 mag, respectively. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: January 1992 DOI: 10.1086/170904 Bibcode: 1992ApJ...384..624P Keywords: Astronomical Spectroscopy; Binary Stars; Orbital Elements; Stellar Motions; Stellar Orbits; Angular Resolution; Orbit Calculation; Stellar Magnitude; Visual Observation; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (1)