Continuing the Search for Short Period EEB's: The Analysis of HW Persei

Session 60 - Multiple Stars.
Display session, Wednesday, June 12
Great Hall,

[60.09] Continuing the Search for Short Period EEB's: The Analysis of HW Persei

R. J. McDermith, R. G. Samec (Millikin University, Visiting Astronomer, Lowell Observatory), B. J. Carrigan (Millikin University)

In our continuing campaign to obtain light and radial velocity curves of short period eccentric eclipsing binary (EEB) candidates, we have obtained complete UBV observations of the neglected system, HW Persei. They were taken at Lowell Observatory in January 1996. Three new epochs of minimum light have been determined. A preliminary period study, spanning some sixty years of timings (with a 24 year gap), result in the following improved linear ephemeris, 2450097.7836(70) + 0.6348285d X E. A quadratic fit was also calculated. This gave a marginally significant quadratic term of 8(6)X10-11 which translates to a period increase of 5(4)X10-8 d/yr. The U, B, V light curves formed from the present precision observations show that HW Per is a near or shallow contact system. Contrary to earlier reports that HW Per has a displaced secondary eclipse, our secondary eclipse falls at phase 0.5. A complete analysis of the synthetic light curve is presented and discussed.

This research was supported by funds from the National Science Foundation.

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