Eclipsing System.
Originally uploaded by Astro Guy.
Here is a beautiful light curve for the binary system V471 Tau. It consists of a main sequence star (K2V) and a hot white dwarf (DA). The dip at phase 0.25 is when the white dwarf passes in front of the main sequence star. The overall pattern is due to tidal distortions of the main sequence star (gravitational interaction with the white dwarf) and the occurance of star spots.
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