Spectroscopic Binaries
Spectroscopic binaries are a type of binary star system in which the two stars are too close together to be resolved through a telescope. Instead, their presence is detected through the Doppler shift of their combined spectral lines. As the stars orbit around their common center of mass, they alternately move towards and away from the observer, causing the spectral lines to shift towards the blue and red ends of the spectrum, respectively. By measuring the period and amplitude of these shifts, astronomers can determine the orbital parameters of the system, such as the period, eccentricity, and mass ratio. Spectroscopic binaries are important for studying the properties of stars, such as their masses, radii, and temperatures, as well as for testing theories of stellar evolution and binary star formation.
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