MY Serpentis: a high-mass triple system in the Ser OB2 association

TL;DR

This study characterizes the massive triple star system MY Serpentis, revealing detailed physical parameters, orbital dynamics, and spectral classifications, and constrains the third star's orbit and mass within the Ser OB2 association.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed physical and orbital analysis of MY Serpentis, a rare high-mass triple system, including component parameters and orbital inclination constraints.

Findings

Primary star mass: 32.23 M☉, radius: 14.23 R☉

Orbital period of the binary: 3.32 days

Third star mass estimated at about 29 M☉

Abstract

We present spectroscopic observations of the massive multiple system HD\,167971, located in the open cluster NGC\,6604. The brighter component of the triple system is the overcontact eclipsing binary MY\,Ser with an orbital period of 3.32\,days. The radial velocities and the previously published UBV data obtained by \citet{may10} and the UBVRI light curves by \citet{dav88} are analysed for the physical properties of the components. We determine the following absolute parameters: for the primary star M$_p$=32.23$\pm$0.54 M$_{\odot}$, R$_p$=14.23$\pm$0.75 R$_{\odot}$; and for the secondary star M$_s$=30.59$\pm$0.53 M$_{\odot}$, R$_s$=13.89$\pm$0.75 R$_{\odot}$. Photoelectric times of minimum light are analyzed under the consideration of the light-time orbit. The center-of-mass of the eclipsing binary is orbiting around the common center-of-gravity of the triple system with a period of 21.2$\pm$0.7\,yr and with a projected semi-major axis of 5.5$\pm$0.7\,AU. The mass function for the third star was calculated as 0.370$\pm$0.036 M$_{\odot}$. The light contributions of the third star to the triple system in the UBV pass-bands were derived and the intrinsic magnitudes and colors were calculated individually for the three stars. The components of the eclipsing pair were classified as O7.5 {\sc iii} and O9.5 {\sc iii}. The intrinsic color indices for the third star yield a spectral type of (O9.5-B0) {\sc iii-i}. {\bf This classification leads to constrain the inclination of the third-body orbit, which should be about 30$^{o}$, and therefore its mass should be about 29 M$_{\odot}$. MY\,Ser is one of the rare massive O-type triple system at a distance of 1.65$\pm$0.13\,kpc, the same as for the NGC\,6604 embedded in the Ser\,OB2 association.}