NGTS-EB-8: A Double-lined Eclipsing M+M Binary Discovered by Citizen Scientists

Journal article

We report the identification and characterization of a new binary system composed of two near-equal mass M-dwarfs. The binary NGTS-EB-8 was identified as a planet candidate in data from the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) by citizen scientists participating in the Planet Hunters NGTS project. High-resolution spectroscopic observations reveal the system to be a double-lined binary. By modeling the photometric and radial velocity observations, we determine an orbital period of 4.2 days and the masses and radii of both stars to be MA=0.250−0.004+0.005 M⊙, MB=0.208−0.004+0.005 M⊙, and RA=0.255−0.005+0.004 R⊙, RB=0.233−0.005+0.006 R⊙, respectively. We detect Balmer line emission from at least one of the stars but no significant flare activity. We note that both components lie in the fully convective regime of low-mass stars (≲0.35 M⊙); therefore, they can be a valuable test for stellar evolutionary models. We demonstrate that the photometric observations, speckle imaging, and initial radial velocity measurements were unable to identify the true nature of this system and highlight that high-resolution spectroscopic observations are crucial in determining whether systems such as this are in fact binaries.

Authors: O’Brien, SM; Schwamb, ME; Watson, CA; Nielsen, LD; Bryant, EM

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Journal: The Astronomical Journal
• Volume: 170
• Issue: 6
• Article number: 316
• Publication date: 2025-11-11
• Acceptance date: 2025-09-26
• DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ae0e0d
• EISSN: 1538-3881
• ISSN: 0004-6256
• Language: English
• Keywords: M dwarf stars; Eclipsing binary stars; Transit photometry