What is "contact binary"

In astronomy, a contact binary is a binary star system whose component stars are so close that they touch each other or have merged to share their gaseous envelopes. A binary system whose stars share an envelope may also be called an overcontact binary. Almost all known contact binary systems are eclipsing binaries; eclipsing contact binaries are known as W Ursae Majoris variables, after their type star, W Ursae Majoris.

Contact binaries are sometimes confused with common envelopes. However, whereas the configuration of two touching stars in a contact binary has a typical lifetime of millions to billions of years, the common envelope is a dynamically unstable phase in binary evolution that either expels the stellar envelope or merges the binary in a timescale of months to years.

A contact binary is a small Solar System body that is composed of two bodies that have gravitated toward each other until they touch. This means contact binaries have odd shapes. Comet Churyumov–Gerasimenko and Comet Tuttle are most likely contact binaries. Asteroids suspected of being contact binaries include the unusually elongated 624 Hektor and the bilobated 216 Kleopatra and 4769 Castalia. 25143 Itokawa, which was photographed by the Hayabusa probe, also appears to be a contact binary which has resulted in an elongated, bent body. About 10–15% of near-Earth asteroids larger than 200 meters are expected to be contact binaries with two lobes in mutual contact.

Candidate contact-binary near-Earth objects observed by radar

Object

Dimensions ( km)
(approximate)

Rotation period
(hours)

2063 Bacchus

2.6×1.1×1.1

14.9

4450 Pan

1.0

60

4486 Mithra

1.6

67.5

4769 Castalia

0.6

4

11066 Sigurd

3.0

8.5

0.3

9.5

0.3

36

8P/Tuttle

4.5

2014 HQ

0.4

20+