The first photometric investigation of the neglected close binary star AQ Com

Abstract

AQ Com is a W UMa-type binary star with a period of 0.28133days that was discovered about fifty years ago. However, it was neglected for photometric investigation. Complete light curves in Rc and Ic bands are presented that show a positive O’Conell effect. The light maxima following the primary minima are higher than the other ones in both bands. Photometric solutions obtained with the W–D (Wilson and Devinney) method suggest that AQ Com is a contact binary with a contact degree of f=21.4(±6.2)%. It is found that the contact binary is a W-type system with a mass ratio of q=2.86 where the less massive component is hotter than the more massive one in a common convective envelope. The asymmetries of the light curves are explained by two dark spots on the more massive component. By combining several determined times of light minimum with the others compiled from the literature, it is detected that the Observed-Calculated (O-C) curve may display a cyclic change with a period of 8.5years and an amplitude of 0.0016days. The cyclic oscillation may be caused by the presence of a cool third stellar object at an orbital separation of about ∼4.2AU. However, more data are needed to confirm the existence of the third body.