W Ursae Majoris: the parameters of a contact binary.
Abstract
Spectroscopic radial velocity observations of W Ursae Majoris, the prototype contact binary, are reported. The parameters (masses, radii, luminosities) of the system have been determined and are given in Table V. There is a real discrepancy between the spectroscopically determined mass-ratio of W Ursae Majoris and the photometrically determined one. BD +55 1351 and W Ursae Majoris share the same space motion which provides an estimate of the distance to the system. A theoretical main-sequence contact binary model is constructed which reproduces the observations.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- 1973
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/163.4.391
- Bibcode:
- 1973MNRAS.163..391W