The First Multi-Color Photometric Study of the Short-Period Contact Eclipsing Binary GK Aqr
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2015
Publication Title
New Astronomy
First Page
50
Last Page
54
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.newast.2015.02.002
Abstract
We made the first VRI CCD light curves of the short-period contact eclipsing binary GK Aqr, which was observed on October 5 and 8, 2013 at Xinglong station of National Astronomical Observatories, China. The ephemeris of GK Aqr was calculated based on our two newly obtained minima and the minima that other observers obtained previously. We discovered that the orbital period of GK Aqr exhibits an increasing trend of Ṗ=2.8(0.1)×10^-7 days/year by means of fitting the O-C values of the minima. This phenomenon might be explained by mass transfer from the primary (less massive) component to the secondary (more massive) one. With the updated Wilson & Devinney program, we obtained the photometric orbital parameters for the first time. Using our parameters, we also successfully explained the light curve obtained from the All Sky Automated Survey data. In the end, we concluded that GK Aqr is a near contact binary with a low contact factor of 5.2%. As the mass transfer continues, GK Aqr could become a contact system and evolve into an over-contact system.
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Recommended Citation
Zhang, Liyun; Pi, Qingfeng; Han, Xianming; Li, TongAn; Zhang, Xiliang; Sang, Hongyan; Wang, Daimei; and Wang, Shuai, "The First Multi-Color Photometric Study of the Short-Period Contact Eclipsing Binary GK Aqr" New Astronomy / (2015): 50-54.
Available at https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers/747