Absolute Properties of the Eclipsing Binary VV Corvi

We have obtained red-wavelength spectroscopy and Johnson B and V differential photoelectric photometry of the eclipsing binary VV Crv = HR 4821. The system is the secondary of the common proper motion double star ADS 8627, which has a separation of 5.''2. VV Crv has an orbital period of 3.144536 days and a low but non-zero eccentricity of 0.085. With the Wilson-Devinney program we have determined a simultaneous solution of our spectroscopic and photometric observations. Those orbital elements produce masses of M ₁ = 1.978 ± 0.010 M _⊙ and M ₂ = 1.513 ± 0.008 M _⊙, and radii of R ₁ = 3.375 ± 0.010 R _⊙ and R ₂ = 1.650 ± 0.008 R _⊙ for the primary and secondary, respectively. The effective temperatures of the two components are 6500 K (fixed) and 6638 K, so the star we call the primary is the more massive but cooler and larger component. A comparison with evolutionary tracks indicates that the components are metal rich with [Fe/H] = 0.3, and the system has an age of 1.2 Gyr. The primary is near the end of its main-sequence lifetime and is rotating significantly faster than its pseudosynchronous velocity. The secondary is still well ensconced on the main sequence and is rotating more slowly than its pseudosynchronous rate.