A&A 548, A6 (2012) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219723 & c ESO 2012 Astrophysics The orbits of subdwarf B + main-sequence binaries I. The sdB+G0 system PG 1104+243 J. Vos1, R. H. Østensen1,P.Degroote1,K.DeSmedt1,E.M.Green2,U.Heber3,H.VanWinckel1,B.Acke1, S. Bloemen1,P.DeCat4,K.Exter1, P. Lampens4, R. Lombaert1, T. Masseron5,J.Menu1,P.Neyskens5,G.Raskin1, E. Ringat6, T. Rauch6,K.Smolders1, and A. Tkachenko1 1 Instituut voor Sterrenkunde, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200D, 3001 Leuven, Belgium e-mail:
[email protected] 2 Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA 3 Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte Astronomisches Institut, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 96049 Bamberg, Germany 4 Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ringlaan 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium 5 Université Libre de Bruxelles, C.P. 226, Boulevard du Triomphe, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium 6 Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik, Universität Tübingen, Sand 1, 72076 Tübingen, Germany Received 31 May 2012 / Accepted 5 October 2012 ABSTRACT Context. The predicted orbital period histogram of a subdwarf B (sdB) population is bimodal with a peak at short (<10 days) and long (>250 days) periods. Observationally, however, there are many short-period sdB systems known, but only very few long-period sdB binaries are identified. As these predictions are based on poorly understood binary interaction processes, it is of prime importance to confront the predictions to well constrained observational data. We therefore initiated a monitoring program to find and characterize long-period sdB stars. Aims. In this contribution we aim to determine the absolute dimensions of the long-period binary system PG 1104+243 consisting of an sdB and a main-sequence (MS) component, and determine its evolution history.