Photometric Analysis of the Solar Type, Totally Eclipsing, Southern, Near Critical Contact Binary, CW Sculptoris

Volume 45 number 1 (2017)

Download this article (pdf)

Ronald G Samec

Astronomy Group, Department of Natural Science, Emmanuel College, 181 Springs Street, P.O. Box 129, Franklin Springs, GA 30639; ronaldsamec@gmail.com

Cody L. Norris

Astronomy Group, Department of Natural Science, Emmanuel College, 181 Springs Street, P.O. Box 129, Franklin Springs, GA 30639; s.cln@ec.edu

Bob L. Hill

Astronomy Program, Dept. of Chemistry and Physics, Bob Jones University, 1700 Wade Hampton Bjvd., Greenville, SC, 29614, bhill@bju.edu

Walter Van Hamme

Physics Department, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33199, vanhamme@fiu.edu

Danny R. Faulkner

Johnson Observatory, 1414 Bur Oak Court, Hebron, KY 41048

Abstract

CW Sculptoris is a solar type (T1 ~ 5750 K) eclipsing binary. It was observed in October and November, 2014 at Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory in remote mode with the 0.6-m SARA South reflector. Three times of minimum light were calculated from our present observations, one secondary and two primary eclipses. In addition, six observations at minima were determined from archived All Sky Automated Survey Data. An increasing period was determined from all available times of minimum light with a 1.14 ± 0.16 × 10–10 × E2 quadratic term. A BVRcIc simultaneous Wilson-Devinney Program solution reveals that the system has a mass ratio of ~ 0.44, and a component temperature difference of ~ 200 K. The Roche Lobe fill-out is only 3%. This may indicate that the system has recently come into contact. The inclination is ~ 84°. An eclipse duration of 19.5 minutes was determined for the primary eclipse.