The Radial Velocity Curve

• Above the rainbow-colored portion of the screen (the spectrum) you will find plots showing the radial velocities of the two stars, as measured from Earth.  The variation in radial velocity of the blue star over time is shown by the blue path (the blue dot indicates the radial velocity at the moment), while the variation in radial velocity of the red star over time is shown by the red path (the red dot indicates its radial velocity at the moment).  Note that the stars themselves are not necessarily red and blue, but that those are the chosen colors of the dots and radial velocity curves in the diagrams!  The labels on the right reveal the period of the orbits (in years) and two radial velocities (positive - directed away from you, and negative - directed towards you).  Note how when one star has a positive radial velocity, the other has a negative radial velocity.   This should make sense based on the orbital motion of the stars.

Please Close This Window To Return To The Applet Page