Chromospherically active stars. I. HD 136905.

The variable star HD 136905, recently designated GX Librae, is a chromospherically active K1 III single-lined spectroscopic binary with a period of 11.1345 days. It has moderate strength Ca II H and K and ultraviolet emission features, while Hα is strongly in absorption. The inclination of the systems is 58°±17° and the unseen secondary is most likely a G or K dwarf. The v sin i of the primary, 32±2 km s^-1, results in a minimum radius of 7.0±0.4 R_sun;. Since the star fills a substantial fraction of its Roche lobe, the double-peaked light curve seen by photometric observers is predominantly ellipsoidal in nature. Both the photometry and the spectroscopy yield values for the period and the time of conjunction that are identical within their uncertainties.