SIMBAD references

1998AJ....116.1440H - Astron. J., 116, 1440-1446 (1998/September-0)

Hubble space telescope fine guidance sensor astrometry of the low-mass binary L722-22.

HERSHEY J.L. and TAFF L.G.

Abstract (from CDS):

The M dwarf star L722-22 (LHS 1047, GJ 1005) was discovered to be a binary in 1979. Analysis of ground-based data indicated a mass near 0.06 M for the secondary star, well below the nominal stellar mass limit of 0.08 M. The close, faint binary was near the limit for ground-based astrometry and was approved for Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) observations in 1992. The relative orbital motion of the binary has been monitored using FGS ``transfer'' mode measurements. The trigonometric parallax and motion of the primary about the center of mass were determined from the FGS ``position'' mode observations. All possible background reference stars in the FGS field-of-view were used. The relative orbit and fractional masses have been determined with far higher precision and accuracy than possible with ground-based techniques for this close, faint binary. The FGS observations definitely eliminate the possibility that the secondary star is a candidate for having a substellar mass, and place its mass and lower mass error range well above the stellar mass limit. Masses of 0.179 and 0.112 M have been found for the two components, with formal random errors as low as 1.5%. The mass errors resulting from the correction from relative to absolute parallax are somewhat larger.

Abstract Copyright:

Journal keyword(s): Stars: Binaries: General - Stars: Binaries: Visual - Stars: Low-Mass, Brown Dwarfs

Simbad objects: 5

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