eclipsing binary – Astronomy Now

Sextuple star system fascinates with three eclipsing binaries

29 January 2021 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found a rare sextuple star system made up of three eclipsing binaries.

Longest-lasting stellar eclipse discovered

18 February 2016 Astronomy Now

Imagine living on a world where, every 69 years, the sun disappears in a near-total eclipse that lasts for three and a half years. That is just what happens in a newly discovered system, known only by its astronomical catalogue number TYC 2505-672-1, setting a new record for both the longest duration stellar eclipse and the longest period between eclipses in a binary star system.

Did the ancient Egyptians record the period of eclipsing binary Algol?

18 December 2015 Astronomy Now

A scholarly investigation of the Cairo Calendar papyrus (1244–1163 B.C.) has led researchers at the University of Helsinki to conclude that the ancient Egyptians were aware that the variable star Algol (beta Persei) had a 2.85-day period. Given that the star’s current period is 2.8673 days, this supports the theory that mass transfer between the stars of this eclipsing binary has caused a long-term increase of its orbital period.

Gaia satellite and amateur astronomers spot one in a billion star

17 July 2015 Astronomy Now

The Gaia satellite has discovered a unique binary system where one star is ‘eating’ the other, but neither star has any hydrogen, the most common element in the universe. The system could hold the key to what causes Type Ia supernova explosions: one of the greatest mysteries in modern astrophysics.