THE DISTANCE TO THE MASSIVE ECLIPSING BINARY LMC-SC1-105 IN THE LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • This Letter presents the first distance measurement to the massive, semi-detached, eclipsing binary LMC-SC1-105, located in the LH 81 association of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Previously determined parameters of the system are combined with new near-infrared photometry and a new temperature analysis to constrain the reddening toward the system, and determine a distance of 50.6 1.6 kpc (corresponding to a distance modulus of 18.52 0.07 mag), in agreement with previous eclipsing binary measurements. Although this is the sixth distance measurement to an eclipsing binary in the LMC, it is the first to an O-type system. We thus demonstrate the suitability of O-type eclipsing binaries (EBs) as distance indicators. We suggest using bright, early-type EBs to measure distances along different sight lines, as an independent way to map the depth of the LMC and resolve the controversy about its three-dimensional structure. 2011. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

published proceedings

  • ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS

altmetric score

  • 3

author list (cited authors)

  • Bonanos, A. Z., Castro, N., Macri, L. M., & Kudritzki, R.

citation count

  • 30

complete list of authors

  • Bonanos, Alceste Z||Castro, Norberto||Macri, Lucas M||Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter

publication date

  • March 2011