The Wolf‐Rayet Binary WR 141 (WN5o + O5 V–III) Revisited

We combine all previously published radial velocity measurements of the spectroscopic binary WR 141 with new CCD data from 1988–1989 and 1992, complemented by polarimetric broadband measurements from 1989. This enables us to refine the orbital elements [ P = 21.6895 days, e = 0.018, K WR = 118 km s −1 , K O = (163–194) km s −1 ], estimate the masses of the components [ M WR = (36–54) M ⊙ , M O = (26–33) M ⊙ for orbital inclination i = 68°], and restore the spectrum of the O star via a specifically designed decomposition algorithm. Along with pronounced erratic variations, the spectral lines of the WR component demonstrate systematic phase‐locked variability induced by the radiation field of the hot, luminous O companion.