Universe: Stars And Galaxies
Universe: Stars And Galaxies
6th Edition
ISBN: 9781319115098
Author: Roger Freedman, Robert Geller, William J. Kaufmann
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 17, Problem 67Q
To determine

The time taken by two stars to complete one orbit around each other.

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The Algol binary system consists of a 3.7 Msun star and a 0.8 Msun star with an orbital period of 2.87 days.  Using Newton’s version of Kepler’s Third Law, calculate the distance, a, between the two stars.  Compare that to the size of Betelgeuse (you’ll need to look that up).   Newton’s Version of Kepler’s Law:    (M1 + M2) P2 = (4p2 /G) a3                     Rearrange the equation to solve for a. Pi, p, is equal to 3.14. IMPORTANT NOTE: Google the value of G (the Universal Gravitational Constant) or look it up in your text.  NOTICE THE UNITS.  You must convert every distance and time in your equation to the same units, otherwise, you’ll get an incorrect answer.  That means you must convert distances to meters, solar masses to kilograms, and time to seconds.   When you compare your value to the size of Betelgeuse, it will also help that they are in the same units.
In a binary star system, the average separation between the stars is 4.0 AU, and their orbital period is 5.0 years. What is the sum of their two masses? The average distance of Star A from the center of mass is four times that of Star B. What are their individual masses?
A visual binary is composed of two stars A and B. This visual binary has a rotation period of 59.94 years and a distance of 3.64 pc from Earth. Assuming that the plane of the orbit is in the plane of the sky, the true angular extent of the semi-major axis is 7.61". The ratio of the distances of A and B from the centre of mass is aд/aB = 0.6. Find the masses of each member of the system. NOTE: to keep the calculation easier you should express the mass of the system in units of solar masses.

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Universe: Stars And Galaxies

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