Issue |
A&A
Volume 390, Number 2, August I 2002
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 555 - 559 | |
Section | Interstellar and circumstellar matter | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20020753 | |
Published online | 12 July 2002 |
Research Note
Period behavior of the W Ursae Majoris contact binary AH Tauri
National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Yunnan Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China United Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Corresponding author: Yulan Yang, bily@public.km.yn.cn
Received:
11
December
2001
Accepted:
29
April
2002
New timing of minimum light determined from CCD observations
of the W UMa type contact binary AH Tau is presented. From the present time
of minimum light and those collected from the literature,
the changes in the
orbital period of the system are analyzed. The result reveals that the orbital
period of AH Tau continuously decreased at a rate of
from 1944 to 1976 and suddenly and
sharply decreased by about 0.33 s around 1976. After 1976 the orbital
period of the system continually increased at a change rate of
. A possible explanation of the changes in the
orbital period of AH Tau is discussed.
They may be the result of compound action of three mechanisms: the cyclical
magnetic activity, the mass loss and the radius swelling of the two components
of the system.
Key words: star: individual: AH Tau / stars: binary: eclipsing
© ESO, 2002
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