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CI Cygni since the 1980 eclipse

During the 1980 eclipse of the 855 day period symbiotic binary CI Cyg, a data set showing high excitation resonance lines which were largely uneclipsed but brightening on an orbital timescale, and intercombination lines exhibiting pronounced but nontotal eclipses and which were fading on an orbital timescale were obtained. A model invoking a low density dissipating nebula surrounding the hot companion to explain the intercombination lines, and a shock between stellar winds to interpret the resonance lines, is described. Subsequent synoptic observations revealed continuing changes in the UV emission line fluxes consistent with those described above, except for the brightening of Mg II and the emergence of strong, not previously seen Mg V emission. Post-outburst and phase dependent changes must be included in any interpretation of this system as the archetypal symbiotic binary. Observations to be made during the 1982 October eclipse are summarized.

Stencel, R. E.

The 1979-1980 eclipse of Zeta Aurigae. II - The emission spectrum

UV observations using the IUE are employed to discuss the strength and changes of Zeta Aur between a second contact and mid-eclipse in 1979, the relative visibility of the supergiant's chromosphere as compared with the circumstellar (CS) nebular scattering of the B star photons, and the origin of the high speed CS components observed at all orbital phases. Agreement has been found for a spectoscopic radius of 200 solar radii and a 400 pc distance, and eclipse emission lines were recorded from 1238.9-2802.7 microns. An asymmetry in the Fe III lines at 46 plus or minus 15 km/sec was seen during eclipse and is taken to indicate downflowing material. The high speed wind flowing from the K supergiant is thought to expand homogeneously until encountering the B type main sequence star, where an accretion bow shock forms, and the smaller star's passage near the K star at periastron may cause local surface heating and subsequent high speed flows.

Stencel, R. E.

A first look at the eclipsing cataclysmic variable Lanning 10

Photometry and spectroscopy of a new cataclysmic variable star, Lanning 10 are presented. The star is shown to be an eclipsing binary with a 7h 42m orbital period. Blue flickering is observed to occur on a time scale of 10 minutes. The light curve is analyzed with a numerical simulation of the eclipse of the accretion disk by the lobe-filling star. The disk nearly spans the Roche lobe of the white dwarf, and its surface brightness is a steep function of radius. Spectra show broad H alpha and He I 6678 A emission lines from the accretion disk and a weak absorption feature from the red dwarf. Radial velocity measurements of the H alpha emission line vary systematically with binary phase. The observed velocity amplitude 240 km/s, gives the mass function 0.46 solar masses. A phase shift of the velocity curve relative to the eclipse ephemeris indicates that a brightness asymmetry exists in the inner parts of the disk.

Horne, K.

UV eclipse observations of CI Cyg

Low spectral resolution observations were obtained with the IUE during the eclipse phase. Additional data obtained by other IUE groups have been included in the eclipse observations, making it possible to examine the UV spectral properties of CI Cyg over nearly an entire orbit which spans early 1979 through mid 1981. Data obtained over this period suggest an overall decline in UV emission, consistent with the decline of optical emission following the outburst of 1975. The short-wavelength spectrum 1200-2000 A is characterized by numerous intense high-excitation emission lines which become more prominent out of eclipse. The LWR wavelength range 2000-3200 A exhibits a few more additional lines of O III, Mg II, and He II which are superimposed on continuum that rises gradually with increasing wavelength. The observations are consistent with a binary star model which involves mass transfer from the extended cool envelope of the primary to the compact secondary.

Michalitsianos, A. G.

High-resolution IUE observations of the 1981 eclipse of 32 CYG

32 Cyg shows a spectacular pure emission line spectrum during eclipse. Six weeks later, most lines, which were observed in emission during eclipse, are seen as P Cygni type profiles with strong absorption components. The lines are formed through line scattering of B star light in the extended atmosphere (wind) of the K supergiant. During eclipse, the emission parts of the P Cyg lines remain visible since the size of the line scattering sphere around the B star is larger than the red giant. Other emission lines are formed in a shock front near the B star (CIV, SiIV, FeIII) and possibly in an accretion disk. The strong FeII UV Mult. 191 lambda lambda 1785-88 A is shown to be formed through optical pumping via FeII UV Mult. 9 photons. The phase dependence of the P Cyg type profiles is modelled by means of line transfer calculations in nonspherical, 3-dimensional geometry with velocity fields.

Reimers, D.

Massive eclipsing binary candidates

New UBV data are provided for 63 southern OB stars which are either identified in the survey by Garrison, Hiltner, and Schild as having double lines or are known from Wood et al. to be eclipsing binaries. Twenty of the stars are known eclipsing variables. Four stars, not previously known as eclipsing, have both spectroscopic evidence of duplicity and significant photometric variations. Several additional stars have a marginally significant spread in V magnitude.

Garrison, R. F.

Determination of the Io heat flow. 1: Eclipse observations

The thermal emission from Io during eclipse by Jupiter yields data from which the total thermal flux from the volcanoes on the satellite surface can be estimated. Thermal infrared observations in spectral bands between 3.5 and 30 microns of five Io eclipse reappearances and one eclipse disappearance are reported and discussed. The thermal emission of the volcanoes which occurs almost all of the time was determined from the Io heat flux data. The thermal observations of Io are discussed with respect to previous thermophysical theories.

Sinton, W. M.

Lageos orbit and solar eclipses

The objective was to assess the importance of solar eclipses on Lageos' orbit. Solar radiation pressure perturbs the orbit of the Lageos satellite. The GEODYN orbit determination computer program includes solar radiation pressure as one of the forces operating on the satellite as it integrates the orbit. GEODYN also takes into account the extinction of sunlight when Lageos moves into the Earth's shadow. The effect of solar eclipses on the semimajor axis of Lageos' orbit was computed analytically by assuming Lageos to be in a circular orbit, the Sun and the Moon to be in the plane of the orbit, and the Moon to be stationary in the sky in front of the Sun. Also, the magnitude of the radiation pressure is assumed to be linearly related to the angular separation of the Sun and Moon, and that Lageos is a perfect absorber of radiation. The computation indicates that an eclipse of the Sun by the Moon as seen by Lageos can affect the semimajor axis at the 1 centimeter (1 cm) level. Such a change is significant enough to include in GEODYN, in order to get an accurate orbit for Lageos.

Rubincam, D. P.

Egress spectra of the new eclipsing supergiant 22 Vulpeculae

The G-type primary in the single-lined spectroscopic binary 22 Vul (HD 192713, Gp3 Ib-II, period 249 days) was found by IUE to eclipse its recently identified B9 main sequence companion. The system thus joins Zeta Aurigae systems in which a hot dwarf provides a probe of extended atmospheres by going behind a cool supergiant. The IUE data were obtained at scattered dates following two conjunctions. Outside of eclipse, a wind from the system with terminal velocity of 300 k/sec is conspicuous in the Mg II lines. Enhanced Fe II absorption seen well away from geometrical eclipse implies an extensive envelope around the G star. There is a close correspondence between the 22 Vul spectra and those of interacting binaries, suggesting common properties due to relatively dense, warm plasmas in these systems.

Ake, T. B., III

The corona near the time of the 1983 June 11 total solar eclipse

Observations are presented of the corona during the June 11, 1983 total solar eclipse, together with preliminary results of a coordinated observing program conducted to investigate the relationship between the corona and the lower parts of the solar atmosphere. Synoptic observations of the white light corona and disk in H-alpha are compared with the eclipse image, together with the inferred longitudinal component of the photospheric magnetic field measured using the magnetically sensitive Fe line at 6303 A. Using these data, an interpretation of the global three-dimensional coronal structure is attempted; showing that the eclipse image contains bright features which are far from the plane of the sky, and that it is dominated by streamers over polar filament neutral lines.

Sime, D. G.

Modification of the strato-mesospheric temperature and wind structure resulting from the 26 February 1979 solar eclipse

Temperature and wind behavior observed during the February 1979 solar eclipse shows significant change immediately following and up to one hour after totality. Stratospheric and mesospheric data obtained from Fort Churchill, Manitoba, indicate quite clearly a cooling trend between 50-60 kilometers with the maximum temperature decrease of approximately 10 C evident above 52 kilometers. This temperature perturbation was accompanied by an amplification of the meridional wind speed of 20-30 mps near 60 kilometers. These results are essentially in agreement with those obtained at Wallops Island during the March 1970 solar eclipse. Although the stratosphere was under the large-scale influence of a stratospheric warming, the short-term perturbations caused by radiative changes as a result of the solar eclipse did not appear to be masked.

Schmidlin, F. J.

The 1984 eclipse of the symbiotic binary SY Muscae

Data from IUE spectra obtained with the 10 x 20-arcsec aperture on May 13, 1984, and optical spectrophotometry obtained with an SIT vidicon on the 1.5-m telescope at CTIO on April 29-May 1, 1984, are reported for the symbiotic binary SY Mus. The data are found to be consistent with a model of a red-giant secondary of 60 solar radii which completely eclipses the hot primary every 627 d but only partially eclipses the 75-solar-radius He(+) region surrounding the primary. The distance to SY Mus is estimated as 1.3 kpc. It is suggested that the large Balmer decrement in eclipse, with (H-alpha)/(H-beta) = 8.3 and (H-beta)/(H-gamma) = 1.5, is associated with an electron density of about 10 to the 10th/cu cm.

Kenyon, S. J.

The detection of eclipses in the Pluto-Charon system

The first eclipses between Pluto and its satellite ('Charon') were detected in January and February 1985, confirming the satellite's existence. Eclipses lasting a few hours will now occur at 3.20 day intervals for the next 5 to 6 years and then will cease for about 120 years. Careful observations of these eclipses will allow greatly improved determinations to be made of several physical parameters for the Pluto-Charon system: the diameters of the planet and satellite, the surface albedo distribution on one hemisphere of the planet, the orbit of the satellite, and the mass of the planet and hence its density. Knowledge of the density will provide a constraint on models of Pluto's bulk composition.

Binzel, R. P.

The new eclipsing magnetic binary system E 1114 + 182

A comprehensive analysis of E 1114 + 182, the first eclipsing AM Herculis binary system and the shortest-period eclipsing cataclysmic variable known, is presented. The time-resolved X-ray observations which led to the system's recognition as an AM Her system with a roughly 90 minute orbital period are reported. The current optical photometric and polarimetric ephemeris and a description of the system's phase-modulated properties are given. The detailed photometric eclipse profile and the highly variable spectroscopic behavior are addressed. This information is used to determine systemic parameters and derive new information on the line emission regions. The data put severe constraints on current torque models for keeping the binary and white dwarf rotation in phase.

Biermann, P.

Analysis of ultraviolet atmospheric eclipses in the Wolf-Rayet binary CV Serpentis

While no eclipses deeper than 0.04 mag are noted in the present UV spectra, covering one-half of an orbital cycle of CV Ser, in the electron scattering continuum at 2400-3200 A or in fine error sensor observations, marked atmospheric eclipses of up to 0.5 mag depth are observed in individual strong lines and over large ranges of the continuum at shorter wavelengths. The flux above the continuum in the C II 1247 A, Si IV 1400 A, and Si IV 1723 lines showed similar phase dependence with emission weakening, as well as with the emission's going into absorption as phase progresses from superior to inferior conjunction of the WC star (primary eclipse). These observations show effects very similar to the behavior of WN stars in the UV.

Eaton, J. A.

The 1982-1984 Eclipse of Epsilon Aurigae

A workshop proceedings concerned with the new data collected during the 1982-1984 eclipse period of the 27-year system Epsilon Aurigae is presented. This binary star has been a classic problem in astrophysics because the opaque eclipsing object is nonstellar, and probably disk shaped. Invited papers concerning the history of the system, optical, infrared and ultraviolet photometry, optical polarimetry and ultraviolet spectroscopy are included. An invited paper concerning comprehensive theoretical interpretation in the context of stellar evolution also is included. The information collected herein is unparalleled in scope and will remain a standard reference until the next eclipse cycle in the year 2009 A.D., in all probability.

Stencel, R. E.

The newly discovered eclipsing supergiant 22 Vulpeculae

Spectra obtained with the IUE satellite have led to the discovery that 22 Vul is an atmospheric eclipsing binary belonging to the zeta Aurigae class of stars. The system is the first found with a G-type primary (G3 Ib-II), while the spectral type of the secondary is the latest (B9) and its period is the shortest (249 days) of any of the classical members of the group. Out-of-eclipse spectra, atmospheric eclipse phases and totality observations are discussed. Comparisons are made with other systems.

Ake, T. B.

Discovery of a new short-period, eclipsing cataclysmic variable

Photometry and spectroscopy of a newly recognized 14th mag eclipsing cataclysmic variable, KPD 1911 + 1212 (= SVS 8130, V1315 Agl) are reported. The system exhibits deep (1.7 mag) eclipses with period 0.1397 day. The spectrum is that of a high-excitation old nova and shows dramatic variability of the emission line strengths through the eclipse. The profiles of the Balmer emission lines are also phase-dependent, with prominent absorption cores appearing briefly near the inferior conjunction of the emission line source. There is no direct evidence for the secondary. A preliminary determination of radial velocity variations at modest spectral resolution yields K = 132 + or - 26 km/s for the Balmer emission lines. A model is presented for the system consistent with current data, which implies a mass for the primary and secondary stars of 0.9 and 0.4 solar mass respectively and in inclination of i = 78 deg.

Downes, R. A.