2015AJ....149...90S

GSC 3208 1986 is an NSVS and TYCHO binary, first observed from 1999 to 2000. It is a W UMa binary with a period of 0.405 days. The present observations were taken in 2012 September and are of high precision, averaging a standard deviation of better than 5 mmag. The amplitude of the light curve is very nearly 0.5 mag yet it undergoes total eclipses. Dominion Astrophysical Observatory spectra give an F3V type (T ∼ 6900 K) for the system, the earliest of the extreme mass ratio W UMa binaries. The linear period determination of 0.4045672 days was calculated with the two sets of epochs available. An early NSVS light curve reveals that the period has been smoothly decreasing over its past 12,000 orbits. The binary may be undergoing sinusoidal oscillations due to the presence of a third body, possibly with a period of 23±3 years. The high inclination of 85° results in a long duration secondary total eclipse, lasting some 49.5 minutes. Findings indicate that GSC 3208 1986 is an immaculate extreme mass ratio, q(m₂/m₁) = 0.24, A-type W UMa binary.