Map-based trigonometric parallaxes of open clusters. II - The Hyades: 51 Tauri

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 392; no. 2 Ju; pp. 710 - 714
• Main Authors: Gatewood, George, Castelaz, Michael, De Jonge, Joost K., Persinger, Timothy, Stein, John, Stephenson, Bruce
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS University of Chicago Press 20.06.1992
• Subjects: Astronomy; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Globular clusters in the milky way; Stellar clusters and associations; Stellar systems. Galactic and extragalactic objects and systems. The universe; Mass; Photometric observation; Hyades; Stellar population; Open cluster; Trigonometric parallax; Data table; Binary star
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1086/171473

The trigonometric parallax, mass, and mass ratio of 51 Tauri, a binary member of the Hyades star cluster, are determined. The parallax solution, 19.4 mas with a standard error of 1.1 mas, is slightly greater than its generally accepted value and yields a cluster distance of 4.30 +/-2.0 pc or a distance modulus equivalent of 3.16 +/- 0.10 mag, in excellent agreement with recent photographic parallax results. The weighted mean of all trigonometric parallax determinations of the cluster is now 22.9 +/-0.6 mas or a modulus of 3.20 +/- 0.06 mag. The total mass of the 51 Tauri system was found to be 2.56 +/- 0.44 solar masses. Adopting a magnitude difference in line with the spectral types of the components yields individual masses of 1.61 +/- 0.28 and 0.95 +/- 0.18 solar masses. This result places the mass of both the A8 V primary and the G0 secondary stars within the errors of the measurement of the mass-luminosity relation established for solar-neighborhood main-sequence stars.