Spectroscopic subcomponents in visual double stars: The most probable values of their physical and orbital parameters. Application to the system WDS 14404+2159

Abstract

Double stars with spectroscopic subcomponents are very interesting objects from many points of view. In this way, determination of their orbits and masses has become a key step in its study. We show a method that allows to calculate, both from orbits and Hipparcos parallax, the most probable values of all stellar masses, spectroscopic binary inclination, angular separation between their components and even a spectral types' estimate. We apply this method to triple system WDS 14404+2159 (a double star with a single-lined spectroscopic subcomponent) and compare our results with other estimations. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.