V471 Tauri, Ballerina of the Hyades

David Skillman and Joseph Patterson

Astronomical Journal

September 1988, Volume 96, Page 976

Orbital light curves for V471 Tauri, the red dwarf-white dwarf binary in the Hyades, were obtained for the 1980-1983 observing seasons based on photometric and spectroscopic data. The results reveal the effects of tidal distortion of the secondary and a slow, transient wave which may originate from darker areas on the star's surface. A consistent ephemeris is derived. A Ca II line emission similar to that of rapidly rotating late-type stars and an additional component arising from the stellar region bathed in the white dwarf's UV-radiation field are found. An overall orbital-period decrease is noted which may be due to the strong braking of the K star's rotation by its own stellar wind, coupled with the enforcement of synchronous rotation by the tidal interaction with the white dwarf.

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Copyright © 1988 American Astronomical Society.