Generally the main star as this will have the most mass. However, temperature is not necessarily based on mass, so a secondary unit, could well be hotter but less massive.
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)
The Algol star system is known as an eclipsing binary pair, As such, one star moves in front of the other, blocking it's light. Because the pair are in line with the Earth, it has the effect that one stars seems to disappear. See related link for an animation of the effect.
Algol is a binary star system composed of two stars orbiting each other. The dimming and brightening of Algol occur when the dimmer star passes in front of the brighter star from our point of view, resulting in an eclipse. This regular change in brightness is known as an eclipsing binary system.
Algol is best classified as a fixed star system in the constellation Perseus. It is actually a binary star system consisting of two stars that eclipse each other from the perspective of Earth. It is one of the best-known eclipsing binary stars and is a popular target for amateur astronomers.
Eclipsing binary stars become dimmer when one star passes in front of the other, blocking its light from reaching an observer. This periodic obscuration reduces the overall brightness of the system as seen from Earth. The dimming occurs when the stars are aligned such that the foreground star partially or completely obscures the background star, leading to a characteristic light curve that reveals the stars' sizes and orbital dynamics.
algol
That's an 'eclipsing binary'.
"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.
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.
That happens in an "eclipsing binary".
An eclipsing binary star in Perseus is a system where two stars orbit each other in such a way that they periodically pass in front of each other, causing eclipses and variations in brightness as viewed from Earth. By studying these changes in brightness, astronomers can determine important properties of the stars, such as their masses and radii.
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)
The Algol star system is known as an eclipsing binary pair, As such, one star moves in front of the other, blocking it's light. Because the pair are in line with the Earth, it has the effect that one stars seems to disappear. See related link for an animation of the effect.
Each of those is an eclipsing binary.
Algol is a binary star system composed of two stars orbiting each other. The dimming and brightening of Algol occur when the dimmer star passes in front of the brighter star from our point of view, resulting in an eclipse. This regular change in brightness is known as an eclipsing binary system.
Algol is best classified as a fixed star system in the constellation Perseus. It is actually a binary star system consisting of two stars that eclipse each other from the perspective of Earth. It is one of the best-known eclipsing binary stars and is a popular target for amateur astronomers.
Eclipsing binary stars become dimmer when one star passes in front of the other, blocking its light from reaching an observer. This periodic obscuration reduces the overall brightness of the system as seen from Earth. The dimming occurs when the stars are aligned such that the foreground star partially or completely obscures the background star, leading to a characteristic light curve that reveals the stars' sizes and orbital dynamics.