What are eclipsing binaries?

Eclipsing binaries are space pairs that take turns hiding from our view like a game of hide-and-seek.

Imagine you and your best friend are holding hands and dancing around a bright light in the middle of the room. Every now and then, one of you steps in front of the light, blocking it from view for a little while before stepping back out. That’s kind of what happens with eclipsing binaries, two stars that orbit each other, and sometimes one passes in front of the other, making it look like the light gets dimmer for a bit.

Think of it like turning on and off a lamp in your room. When both stars are shining, you see the full brightness. But when one star moves in front of the other, it’s like someone flipped the switch to low, the light gets dimmer until the first star steps back out.

This game of hide-and-seek happens over and over again as the two stars keep moving around each other, just like you and your friend dancing forever.