PREVIOUS PAGE The Orbit of 70 Ophiuchi
By plotting the observations of a binary star over the years, it is possible to draw the orbit of one star about the other: Once the orbit is known, calculations concerning the masses of the stars can be made. This is the orbit of a faint double star in the constellation of Ophiuchus.
Figure 3. 
An Eclipsing Binary
An eclipsing binary is a double star oriented so that the two stars alternately pass in front of each other. Usually astronomers discover eclipsing binaries by noting that the brightness of a single-appearing star exhibits periodic, temporary depressions. From the shape of the resulting light curve, many details about the binary star can be deduced.
Figure 4. 
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