Research Note

V456 Ophiuchi and V490 Cygni: Systems with the shortest apsidal-motion periods

Astronomical Institute, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University Prague, 180 00 Praha 8, V Holešovičkách 2, Czech Republic
e-mail: zasche@sirrah.troja.mff.cuni.cz

Received: 8 September 2010
Accepted: 9 December 2010

Abstract

Our main aim is the first detailed analysis of the two eclipsing binaries V456 Oph and V490 Cyg. The system V456 Oph has been studied both photometrically via an analysis of its light curve observed by the INTEGRAL/OMC and by the period analysis of all available times of minima. V490 Cyg has been studied by means of a period analysis only. Many new times of minima for both systems have recently been observed and derived. This allows us for the first time to study in detail the processes that affect both binaries. The main result is the discovery that both systems have eccentric orbits. For V456 Oph we deal with the eccentric eclipsing binary system with the shortest orbital period known (about 1.016 day), while the apsidal motion period is about 23 years. V490 Cyg represents the eclipsing system with the shortest apsidal motion period (about 18.8 years only). The two components of V456 Oph are probably of spectral type F. We compare and discuss the V456 Oph results from the light curve and the period analysis, but a more detailed spectroscopy is needed to confirm the physical parameters of the components more precisely.