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What information can be gained from the light curves of eclipsing binaries?
By studying the variation of the light from an eclipsing binary's light curve, astronomers can derive detailed information not only about the stars' orbits and masses, but also about their radii.(McMillian)
What are stars called that wink?
Imaginary. Stars shine pretty constantly until they die, and their deaths are often spectacular. But they don't "wink". Perhaps you meant "twinkle", in which case they're just stars. The twinkling effect is caused by atmospheric disturbances, and it rather famously doesn't happen to planets, since even though you can't easily tell by eye, they aren't effectively point sources as seen from Earth. Or then again, perhaps you meant "blink", as happens with pulsars. I think that I know what this question means. The answer's "eclipsing binaries". Such binary systems (with short periods) are said to "wink", especially if one of the stars is much brighter than the other. A famous example is "Algol".
Why can certain stars sometimes be identified as eclipsing bininary stars?
A binary star consists of two stars gravitationally locked together in a mutual orbit. If the plane of that orbit is in line with us, as observers, then occasionally, one star will eclipse the other, producing a change in luminosity as one star is briefly blocked from view.
Why Algol regularly change its brightness?
Algol is an "eclipsing binary", meaning there are two stars, one of which regularly covers the other. When that happens, we receive less light from the pair.
Stars that are found in pairs are called?
Two stars orbiting each other are "binary stars" ...a group of stars near each other, may be formally or informally known as a "cluster".
Eclipsing binary stars can sometimes be identified because?
Because in eclipsing binaries, the two stars orbit each other regularly passing in front of the other, blocking out some or all of light of the hidden star.
What role do binary stars play in eclipsing binaries?
The dimmer, secondary star passes in front of the brigher primary star, dimming it.
Does Taurus have any Binary stars?
Yes. Zeta Tauri, Kappa Tauri, and Lambda Tauri are eclipsing binary stars.
A star system in which on star blocks the light from another is called?
"Occulting binary". The word "occult" means hidden or in shadows; if a binary star's orbital plane happens to be exactly through the Earth's path, we might see two stars when they're separate and then see one of the stars disappear behind (or in front of) the other.
Why are some binary stars called eclipsing?
Because in eclipsing binaries, the two stars orbit each other regularly passing in front of the other, blocking out some or all of light of the hidden star.
What is double stars in which one star moves directly in front of the other?
Each of those is an eclipsing binary.
Are eclipsing binary stars better for determining masses than non-eclipsing binaries?
Yes, because it is easier to determine the precise times of their mutual orbits, which allows us to calculate their masses.
What information can be gained from the light curves of eclipsing binaries?
By studying the variation of the light from an eclipsing binary's light curve, astronomers can derive detailed information not only about the stars' orbits and masses, but also about their radii.(McMillian)
How can you tell if a star system is an eclipsing binary system?
Precisely by the eclipse - that's what an "eclipsing binary system" is all about. The idea is that one of the stars partially (or completely, in some cases) covers the other star; with the result that the combined brightness (as seen from Earth) gets less for some time.
What two pieces of information would you need in order to measure the masses of stars in an eclipsing binary system?
the time between eclipses and the average distance between the stars
What are stars called that wink?
Imaginary. Stars shine pretty constantly until they die, and their deaths are often spectacular. But they don't "wink". Perhaps you meant "twinkle", in which case they're just stars. The twinkling effect is caused by atmospheric disturbances, and it rather famously doesn't happen to planets, since even though you can't easily tell by eye, they aren't effectively point sources as seen from Earth. Or then again, perhaps you meant "blink", as happens with pulsars. I think that I know what this question means. The answer's "eclipsing binaries". Such binary systems (with short periods) are said to "wink", especially if one of the stars is much brighter than the other. A famous example is "Algol".
What is an eclipsing binary?
Two stars orbiting each other so that one regularly passes in front of the other blocking out some or all of light of the hidden star. See related link for an animation.
