Because the orbital plane lies close to the line of sight with the Earth, they form an eclipsing binary system.[4] The two components are each distorted by the gravity of the other star, and their shapes mean that the magnitude of the star system varies constantly even outside of the eclipses, an arrangement known as a Beta Lyrae variable. The brightness of the pair decreases during each eclipse, which occurs with a frequency determined by their orbital period of 1.95026 days. During the eclipse of the primary component the net magnitude decreases by 0.20 to 5.37; the eclipse of the secondary component results in a magnitude decrease of 0.10 to 5.27.[14]
^ abcdNicolet, B. (1978), "Photoelectric photometric Catalogue of homogeneous measurements in the UBV System", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, 34: 1–49, Bibcode:1978A&AS...34....1N.
^ abcLevato, H. (January 1975), "Rotational velocities and spectral types for a sample of binary systems", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, 19: 91–99, Bibcode:1975A&AS...19...91L.
^ abLefèvre, L.; et al. (November 2009), "A systematic study of variability among OB-stars based on HIPPARCOS photometry", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 507 (2): 1141–1201, Bibcode:2009A&A...507.1141L, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/200912304.
^Wilson, Ralph Elmer (1953), "General catalogue of stellar radial velocities", Carnegie Institute Washington D.C. Publication, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Bibcode:1953GCRV..C......0W.
^Jordan, Frank Craig (1916), "The orbit and spectrum of [sigma] Aquilae", Publications of the Allegheny Observatory of the University of Pittsburgh, 3 (22): 189–196, Bibcode:1916PAllO...3..189J.
^"Light Curve", Hipparcos ESA, ESA, retrieved 17 February 2022.
^van Rensbergen, W.; De Loore, C.; Jansen, K. (February 2006), "Evolution of interacting binaries with a B type primary at birth", Astronomy and Astrophysics, 446 (3): 1071–1079, Bibcode:2006A&A...446.1071V, doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20053543.