Optical Polarization Observations of Epsilon Aurigae During the 2009-2011 Eclipse
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
5-29-2012
Description
Polarization observations of the unique eclipsing binary, Epsilon Aurigae, are being carried out using a new dual beam imaging polarimeter on the 0.36m telescope of the Harry D. Powell Observatory. This bright binary system has a 27.1 year period with an eclipse duration of nearly two years. The primary is known to be a pulsating F0 supergiant with the secondary a large and essentially opaque disk. We report here on the characteristics of the polarimeter and on the status of V-band observations that are being obtained to better understand the system's geometry and the nature of its two components. In particular, the characteristics of the secondary disk remain a puzzle. Results are compared to polarization observations from the 1982-1984 eclipse.
Citation Information
Henson, Gary D.; Burdette, John; and Gray, Sharon. 2012. Optical Polarization Observations of Epsilon Aurigae During the 2009-2011 Eclipse. AIP Conference Proceedings. Vol.1429 140-143. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3701916 ISSN: 0094-243X ISBN: 9780735410121