THE CLASSIFICATION OF BINARY STARS
Adetailed understanding of the structure and evolution of stars (the goal of Part II) requires knowledge of their physical characteristics. We have seen that knowledge of blackbody radiation curves, spectra, and parallax enables us to determine a star's effective temperature, luminosity, radius, composition, and other parameters. However, the only direct way to determine the mass of a star is by studying its gravitational interaction with other objects.
In Chapter 2 Kepler's laws were used to calculate the masses of members of our Solar System. However, the universality of the gravitational force allows Kepler's laws to be generalized to include the orbits of stars about one another and even the orbital interactions of galaxies, as long as proper care is taken to refer all orbits to the center of mass of the system.
Fortunately, nature has provided ample opportunity for astronomers to observe binary star systems. At least half of all “stars” in the sky are actually multiple systems, two or more stars in orbit about a common center of mass. Analysis of the orbital parameters of these systems provides vital information about a variety of stellar characteristics, including mass.
The methods used to analyze the orbital data vary somewhat depending on the geometry of the system, its distance from the observer, and the relative masses and luminosities of the components. Consequently, binary star systems are classified according to their specific observational characteristics.
• Optical double. These systems are not actually binaries at all but simply two stars that lie along the same line of sight (i.e., they have similar right ascensions and declinations). As a consequence of their large physical separations, the stars are not gravitationally bound, and hence the system is not useful in determining stellar masses.
• Visual binary. Both stars in the binary can be resolved independently, and if the orbital period is not prohibitively long, it is possible to monitor the motion of each member of the system. These systems provide important information about the angular separation of the stars from their mutual center of mass. If the distance to the binary is also known, the linear separations of the stars can then be calculated.
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