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J. Hopkins (Hopkins Phoenix Observatory), R.E. Stencel (University of Denver Astronomy)
Epsilon Aurigae is a binary star system that eclipses once every 27.1 years. The next eclipse is predicted to begin in 2009. The eclipse is flat-bottomed and lasts nearly two years. In the high mass model, the primary star is an F supergiant, but the nature of the eclipsing object is poorly determined. During the 1982 - 1984 eclipse, a world-wide monitoring campaign was formed to observe the system with modern equipment. Despite a wealth of photometric, spectroscopic and polarimetric data, the nature of the eclipsing body is still debatable. To make matters more interesting, a mid-eclipse brightening was seen by several observers, including observations from space, discounting an earthly atmospheric extinction effect. Previous eclipse data also shows a mid-eclipse brightening. The primary F star appears to have pulsations, but most of the published data for the star system has been taken during eclipses. There are few data taken between eclipses. The Hopkins Phoenix Observatory has been obtaining UBV data of the star system out-of-eclipse since 1984. This paper examines the out-of-eclipse data and light curves to date, and presents possible pulsation periods with amplitudes. These data should provide a better baseline for the next eclipse, including any pulsation role in mid-eclipse brightening. Persons interested in participating in the upcoming eclipse campaign can contact co-author Stencel for a reference copy of the 1985 workshop on the eclipse of epsilon Aurigae.
If you would like more information about this abstract, please follow the link to http://www.hposoft.com/Astro/PEP/EAURDATA.html. This link was provided by the author. When you follow it, you will leave the Web site for this meeting; to return, you should use the Back comand on your browser.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: phxjeff@hposoft.com
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.