RUI: Long-Term Studies of Binary Stars

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AST-9605822 George Wolf The knowledge of many basic stellar properties is dependent on observations of binary stars. The values for stellar absolute dimensions and masses, for example, are dependent on the study of the eclipsing members of the spectroscopic binary stars. This research project will use the techniques of CCD differential photometry to focus on (1) obtaining and analyzing light curves of known, but neglected, longer-period eclipsing binaries with double-line orbital solutions and (2) searching for new eclipsing binaries among known double-line spectroscopic binaries. The major purpose of the research will be that of extending the base of known stellar properties, absolute dimensions and masses. The long-term observations required for study of these types of binary stars are most effectively done at small observatories with focused observational priorities. The astronomical observations and analysis for this research will be carried out mainly with the use of the CCD detector system on the modernized, semi-automated 0.4 meter telescope of the Baker Observatory at Southwest Missouri State University. Undergraduate students, supported separately by a NASA grant to the Missouri Space Grant Consortium, will form an integral part of this research and will assist in all phases of the observations, data analysis and dissemination of the results. ***