IMAGE APH00011br

• by Chinabob

  Would a member of the science team contribute to my education be explaining what is happening here and the science behind it?

  Posted January 16, 2016 9:46 AM

• by davidbundy77

  I am not on the science team but I can manage a brief explanation.

  This is an eclipsing binary, i.e. two stars orbiting and eclipsing each other. The large drops in brightness (over 20%) happen when one star passes in front of the other. Since the dips are about the same depth the two stars must be about the same brightness. Notice also that the variation in brightness between the eclipses is synchronised to the orbital period of the stars. This happens when the stars are close enough together that they distort each other into ellipsoidal shapes and rotate synchronously because of tidal forces. You can read more about eclipsing binaries in the Kepler light curves in this paper (Prsa et al 2011). Compare the light curves in Fig 3. on page 21 for semi-detached eclipsing binaries.

  Posted January 16, 2016 5:51 PM