Star A and Star B are a bound binary at a distance of 20 pc from the Earth. Their separation is 30 AU. Star A has a mass twice that of Star B. The orbital period of the binary is 100 years. Assume the stars orbit in circular orbits. a. What is the parallax of Star A, in units of arcsec? Assume parallax is measured from the Earth. For part a, ignore the presence of the binary companion. b. What is the angular separation we would observe between Star A and Star B, in units of arcsec? If we compare multiple images of this star system taken across different months and years, which source of motion will be the dominant effect? c. What is the total mass of the binary system (combined mass of Star A and Star B)? Provide your answer in both kg and solar masses. d. What is the distance from Star A to the center of mass of the binary system?
Star A and Star B are a bound binary at a distance of 20 pc from the Earth. Their separation is 30 AU. Star A has a mass twice that of Star B. The orbital period of the binary is 100 years. Assume the stars orbit in circular orbits. a. What is the parallax of Star A, in units of arcsec? Assume parallax is measured from the Earth. For part a, ignore the presence of the binary companion. b. What is the angular separation we would observe between Star A and Star B, in units of arcsec? If we compare multiple images of this star system taken across different months and years, which source of motion will be the dominant effect? c. What is the total mass of the binary system (combined mass of Star A and Star B)? Provide your answer in both kg and solar masses. d. What is the distance from Star A to the center of mass of the binary system?
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