eclipsing binary

American  

[i-klip-sing bahy-nuh-ree] / ɪˈklɪp sɪŋ ˈbaɪ nə ri /

noun

1. Astronomy. a binary star with temporary decreases in apparent brightness due to the distinct orbits of its two component stars, which periodically pass each other, with one eclipsing the other.

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eclipsing binary British  

noun

1. a binary star whose orbital plane lies in or near the line of sight so that one component is regularly eclipsed by its companion See also variable star

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eclipsing binary Scientific  

/ ĭ-klĭp′sĭng /

1. See under binary star

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Example Sentences

For his PhD thesis, Shapley made major contributions to the methods of analyzing the behavior of eclipsing binary stars.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

We discussed in the chapter that about half of stars come in pairs, or multiple star systems, yet the first eclipsing binary was not discovered until the eighteenth century.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Here we see the light curve of a hypothetical eclipsing binary star whose orbit we view exactly edge-on, in which the two stars fully eclipse each other.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Figure 18.11 shows the light curve of a hypothetical eclipsing binary star in which the light of one star is completely blocked by another.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

It is virtually certain that RR Centauri is a case of an eclipsing binary system, and that the two stars are close together.

From Darwin and Modern Science by Seward, A. C. (Albert Charles)