The magnetic cataclysmic variable HU Aquarii displayed pronounced quasi-periodic modulations of its eclipse timing. These were interpreted in terms of the light-travel time (LTT) effect caused by a circumbinary planet or planetary system. We report new photometric observations that revealed another precise eclipse timing for the October 2013 epoch, the first obtained in a high accretion state after many years in low or intermediate states. The eclipse was observed to occur earlier by 95.3 ± 2.0 s or 62.8 ± 2.0 s than expected for an assumed linear or quadratic ephemeris, respectively. The implied apparent strong evolution of the orbital period calls for a revision of the current planetary model or the planetary parameters. The object deserves further monitoring to uncover the true nature of the observed variability and to constrain the properties of the proposed planet or planetary system. The new observations prove that advanced amateur equipment can successfully be used in the growing field of planet search in wide circumbinary orbits via the LTT effect.
The eclipsing polar CSS081231:071126+440405 turned bright (Vmax ∼ 14.5) in late 2008 and was subsequently observed intensively with small and medium-sized telescopes. A homogeneous analysis of this comprehensive dataset comprising 109 eclipse epochs is presented and a linear ephemeris covering the five years of observations, about 24000 orbital cycles, is derived. Formally this sets rather tight constraints on the mass of a hypothetical circumbinary planet, M pl ≤ 2 MJup. This preliminary result needs consolidation by long-term monitoring of the source. The eclipse lasts 433.08 ± 0.65 s, and the orbital inclination is found to be i = 79.3• − 83.7• . The centre of the bright phase displays accretion-rate dependent azimuthal shifts. No accretion geometry is found that explains all observational constraints, suggesting a complex accretion geometry with possible pole switches and a likely non-dipolar field geometry.
The magnetic cataclysmic variable HU Aquarii displayed pronounced modulations of its eclipse timing. In recent years, these have been intensively modeled and discussed in the framework of planets orbiting the binary or the Applegate effect. No scenario yielded a unique and satisfactory interpretation of the data. Here, we present 26 new eclipse epochs obtained between 2014 and 2018. The steep and continuous decrease of the orbital period observed in the time interval 2010-2013 has slowed down sometimes before mid 2016. The new slope in the (O − C)-diagram of eclipse arrival times will further constrain physical models of its complex shape.
We report optical time-resolved photometry of the CRTS transient CSS091109:035759+102943. Pronounced orbital variability with a 114 min period, large X-ray variability and the IR to X-ray spectral energy distribution suggest a classification as a magnetic cataclysmic binary, a likely AM Herculis star or polar.
The magnetic cataclysmic variable HU Aquarii displayed pronounced quasi-periodic modulations of its eclipse timing. These were interpreted in terms of the light-travel time (LTT) effect caused by a circumbinary planet or planetary system. We report new photometric observations that revealed another precise eclipse timing for the October 2013 epoch, the first obtained in a high accretion state after many years in low or intermediate states. The eclipse was observed to occur earlier by 95.3 ± 2.0 s or 62.8 ± 2.0 s than expected for an assumed linear or quadratic ephemeris, respectively. The implied apparent strong evolution of the orbital period calls for a revision of the current planetary model or the planetary parameters. The object deserves further monitoring to uncover the true nature of the observed variability and to constrain the properties of the proposed planet or planetary system. The new observations prove that advanced amateur equipment can successfully be used in the growing field of planet search in wide circumbinary orbits via the LTT effect.
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