Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-tj2md Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-16T04:20:16.688Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Evidence for a Precessing Disk in the Extreme Binary ϵ Aurigae

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2007

Robert E. Stencel*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, 2112 E. Wesley Ave., Denver CO 80208, USA email: rstencel@du.edu
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Among the longest known eclipse durations and binary periods is that of the star ϵ Aurigae, which exhibits 2-year long eclipses every 27.1 years. Oddly, the nature of the secondary in the system continues to elude ready identification. In 1965, Huang proposed a massive disk as the eclipsing body, and study of the 1984 eclipse led Lissauer and Backman to suggest an embedded B star binary in the disk to maintain it. A collaboration of observers allows me to present recent optical photometry and spectroscopy, near-IR spectroscopy and Spitzer space telescope IRS and MIPS observations of ϵ Aurigae as it approaches its next eclipse. These data argue for current detectability of the embedded binary, and precession of the disk axis, suggesting a radical change is possible for the next mid-eclipse brightening. An international monitoring campaign for the 2009-2011 is being organized, and participation invited via website http://www.du.edu/~rstencel/epsaur.htm.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

References

Carroll, S., Guinan, E., McCook, G., & Donahue, R. 1991, Ap. J. 367, 278 Google Scholar
Hanson, M., Conti, P., & Rieke, M. 1996, Ap.J.Sup. 107, 281 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemp, J., Henson, G., Kraus, D., Beardsley, I., Carroll, L., & Collins, G. 1986, Ap. J. 300, L11 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapley, H. 1928, Harvard Obs. Bull. 858, 5 Google Scholar
Stencel, R.E. 1985 (ed.), The 1982-1984 Eclipse of Epsilon Aurigae (Washington DC: NASA Conf. Publ. 2384).Google Scholar