The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) Observations of Eclipsing Binary V477 Cygni

Volume 53 number 2 (2025)

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David H. Hinzel

Argent Virtual Astronomical Observatory, 9315 Argent Court, Fairfax Station, VA 22039; daveeta1@cox.net

Abstract

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has produced extremely accurate observations of eclipsing binary systems that contain pulsating components, particularly δ Scuti pulsators. These binaries fall into two basic types, detached systems and semi-detached systems. This study looks at V477 Cyg, which is a detached binary system with no past or present mass transfer. The light curve and the periodogram are analyzed from TESS photometry data contained in the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) database. Pulsations within the δ Scuti component of the binary system are examined in detail to extract the frequency/period relations among the pulsations. The variation of the pulsation components is shown as the system transits through the eclipse cycle. This paper highlights the pulsation period/frequency analysis and the discovery of a δ Scuti component. Additionally, this study explores the possibility of the existence of a third component in this system which seems to have the characteristics of a compact object, specifically a white dwarf.