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Dynamical Masses for the Pleiades Binary System HII-2147

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Abstract

  • We report our long-term spectroscopic monitoring of the Pleiades member HII-2147, which was previously spatially resolved at radio wavelengths in very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations. It has also been claimed to be a (presumably short-period) double-lined spectroscopic binary with relatively sharp lines, although no orbit has ever been published. Examination of our new spectroscopic material and the historical radial velocities shows that the current and previous spectra are best interpreted as featuring only a single set of lines of a moderately rapidly rotating star with slowly variable radial velocity, which is one of the sources detected by VLBI. We combine our own and other velocities with the VLBI measurements and new adaptive optics observations to derive the first astrometric-spectroscopic orbit of the G5 G9 pair, with a period of 18.18 ± 0.11 yr. We infer dynamical masses of 0.897 ± 0.022 M for the spectroscopically visible star and 0.978 ± 0.024 M for the other, along with a distance of ${136.78}_{-0.46}^{ 0.50}$ pc. The lack of detection of the lines of the more massive component in our spectra can be adequately explained if it is rotating much more rapidly than the star we see. This is consistent with the observation that the lines of the secondary are shallower than expected for a star of its spectral type.

Publication Date

  • 2020

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