Fundamental Properties and Distances of the Large Magellanic Cloud from Eclipsing Binaries. II. HV 982

We have determined the distance to a second eclipsing binary (EB) system in the Large Magellanic Cloud, HV 982 (DB1 IVÈV] DB1 IVÈV). The measurement of the distanceÈamong other properties of the systemÈis based on optical photometry and spectroscopy and space-based UV/optical spectropho-tometry. The analysis combines the classical ÏÏ EB study of light and radial velocity curves, which yields the stellar masses and radii, with a new analysis of the observed energy distribution, which yields the eective temperature, metallicity, and reddening of the system plus the distance attenuation factor,ÏÏ essentially (radius/distance)2. Combining the results gives the distance to HV 982, which is 50.2 ^ 1.2 kpc. This distance determination consists of a detailed study of well-understood objects (B stars) in a well-understood evolutionary phase (core H burning). The results are entirely consistent withÈbut do not depend onÈstellar evolution calculations. There are no zero-point ÏÏ uncertainties as, for example, with the use of Cepheid variables. Neither is the result subject to sampling biases, as may aect tech-niques that utilize whole stellar populations, such as red giant branch stars. Moreover, the analysis is insensitive to stellar metallicity (although the metallicity of the stars is explicitly determined), and the eects of interstellar extinction are determined for each object studied. After correcting for the location