Sect. 13. 203 and the geometric elements for the large orbit are
re-computed. From the analysis it cannot be decided whether the third
body is close to the visual primary or secondary component; this can
only be decided by measuring the orbital motion on an astrometric
background of other stars (Chap. IV). In accurate long-term problems the
perspective change in the apparent orbit due to motion of the center of
mass in the line of sight, must be taken into account. In the future
this feature of orbital analysis will undoubtedly become more and more
important. An example of the required reduction is the orbital analysis
of the 61 Cygni system by A. FLETCHER!. 1890 90° 1960 0° Fig. 11.
Relative orbit of the visual binary Kruger 60. - visual observations. 0
photographic observations. IV. Analysis of orbit referred to external
reference system. 13. Introduction. In the preceding Chap. III we dealt
with the analysis of the relative orbit of the two components of a
binary star. We now extend the analysis to the measurements and orbits
of the individual components referred to a system of, presumably
distant, reference stars. Both micrometer measure- ments and,
particularly, meridian circle positions have been successfully employed
in the past; the current observing technique is primarily long-focus
photographic astrometry. The problems studied include those of
mass-ratio and parallax, and of perturbations. Long-focus technique and
analysis are in the first place suitable for the so-called resolved
binaries, whose components are clearly separated.