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MCQAdvancedExoplanets & Stellar Systems

USAAAO — 2024 First Round

Question 13

Samvit observes a binary star system of masses M1 and M2. Unfortunately, the star with mass M2 is too dim for him to observe it, leading to the snapshot shown below. What could Samvit hypothesize to be the position and mass of the other star at this instant that would be consistent with the laws of physics and the orbit snapshot that he sees? To be clear, he has no knowledge of the value of M2 or the period of the binary system.

Figure for USAAAO 2024 question 13

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Source

USAAAO 2024 First Round, Question 13. Question text, choices, and answer were transcribed from the official USAAAO exam and solutions PDFs. Official snapshot diagram omitted; consult the cited exam page.