Hubble Space Telescope Astrometry of the Procyon System
Howard E. Bond (1, 2), Ronald L. Gilliland (2, 3), Gail H., Schaefer (4), Pierre Demarque (5), Terrence M. Girard (5), Jay B. Holberg, (6), Donald Gudehus (7), Brian D. Mason (8), Vera Kozhurina-Platais (2),, Matthew R. Burleigh (9), Martin A. Barstow (9)

TL;DR
This study uses two decades of Hubble data and historical measurements to precisely determine the orbital elements and masses of the Procyon binary system, providing insights into stellar evolution and white dwarf cooling.
Contribution
It offers the first precise dynamical masses for Procyon A and B, confirming theoretical models and revealing discrepancies in progenitor mass and atmospheric composition.
Findings
Procyon A's mass matches asteroseismology predictions.
Procyon B's position aligns with white dwarf cooling models.
The system's orbital and evolutionary properties present unresolved astrophysical puzzles.
Abstract
The nearby star Procyon is a visual binary containing the F5 IV-V subgiant Procyon A, orbited in a 40.84 yr period by the faint DQZ white dwarf Procyon B. Using images obtained over two decades with the Hubble Space Telescope, and historical measurements back to the 19th century, we have determined precise orbital elements. Combined with measurements of the parallax and the motion of the A component, these elements yield dynamical masses of 1.478 +/- 0.012 Msun and 0.592 +/- 0.006 Msun for A and B, respectively. The mass of Procyon A agrees well with theoretical predictions based on asteroseismology and its temperature and luminosity. Use of a standard core-overshoot model agrees best for a surprisingly high amount of core overshoot. Under these modeling assumptions, Procyon A's age is ~2.7 Gyr. Procyon B's location in the H-R diagram is in excellent agreement with theoretical…
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