Vanderbilt University | 2016 Feb 17
[img3="Illustration of binary star system which produces the longest lasting eclipses known. (Credit: Jeremy Teaford / Vanderbilt University)"]http://news.vanderbilt.edu/files/eclips ... 85x298.jpg[/img3][hr][/hr]Imagine living on a world where, every 69 years, the sun disappears in a near-total eclipse that lasts for three and a half years.
That is just what happens in an unnamed binary star system nearly 10,000 light years from Earth. The newly discovered system, known only by its astronomical catalog number TYC 2505-672-1, sets a new record for both the longest duration stellar eclipse and the longest period between eclipses in a binary system. ...
The previous record holder is Epsilon Aurigae, a giant star that is eclipsed by its companion every 27 years for periods ranging from 640 to 730 days. ...
Two unique astronomical resources made the discovery possible: observations by the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) network and the Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard (DASCH) program. ...
An Extreme Analogue of ε Aurigae: An M-giant Eclipsed Every 69 Years
by a Large Opaque Disk Surrounding a Small Hot Source - Joseph E. Rodriguez et al
- arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:1601.00135 > 02 Jan 2016 (v1), 15 Jan 2016 (v2)