THE EVOLUTION OF 



We have, however, retained an assumption that can 

 hardly be maintained if the component stars are actually 

 very near each other. The stars have been supposed to 

 retain their spherical forms. We have, however, seen 

 that, when close together, each star must elongate the 

 other by tidal action, the elongation being in the direction 

 of the line joining their centres, and that forms will be 

 assumed similar to those represented in fig. 5. Acting 



FIG. 15. Light Curves of /3 Lyrae (Myers). 



Calculated curve 

 Observed curve 



upon this suggestion, Myers attacked the problem of the 

 light curve in 1898, upon the assumption that the stars 

 were prolate (or lemon-shaped) ellipsoids, each with its 

 longest axis directed to the other. These forms are 

 indeed not precisely those indicated by the tidal theory, 

 but they are probably a sufficiently close approximation 



