Binaries and Variable Stars
Sat, 06/15/2024 - 11:46
Are all binary stars variable stars? Does the AAVSO archive only variable stars?
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- Title: General AAVSO Discussion
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The answer to your question is a matter of perspective. First off, all stars (including our Sun) are variable to some small extent. However, this variability may not be detectable using typical amateur equipment. The short answer is no, all binary stars are not variable stars from our vantage point on Earth. Only when the orbital inclination of a binary system is favorably positioned, then a fraction of each may be visually obscured on a periodic basis resulting in a decrease in the overall brightness of the system.. This can be used to define the orbital period which can be as short as a few hours or in some cases as long as months or years. As far as I know, only stars that exhibit some sort of variability are maintained in their archives. This includes host stars for exoplanet systems which may only vary by fractional percentage (<<1%) changes in overall brightness.
Kevin
AAVSO has an eclipsing binary section:
https://www.aavso.org/aavso-eclipsing-binaries-section
Ray