The system consists of two hot main-sequence stars. The spectral types have historically been accepted as O7V and O9V,[11] but the more recent Galactic O-Star Spectroscopic Survey gives a spectral type of O7V(n)z + B0:V:.[4] The system is one of the youngest-known eclipsing binaries, and one of the few containing such massive stars that have not yet filled their roche lobes. Their likely age is around 1.6 million years, and they have current masses of 27 M☉ and 19 M☉.[6]
V3903 Sagittarii varies in brightness. The General Catalogue of Variable Stars lists it as a possible hot irregular Orion variable star, but it has been shown to be a detached eclipsing binary system. The two stars are detached, that is they do not fill their roche lobes, which makes it an Algol-type eclipsing variable. The period is one day, 18 hours, 52 minutes.[11][6]
The distance derived from the annual parallax measured by the Hipparcos satellite is around 459 parsecs (1,500 ly),[7] but the distance calculated from the physical properties of the two stars is 1,500 pc.[6] Later measurements have resulted in refined distances estimates of 1,070 pc[9] and 1,200 pc.[8]
^Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
^ abSchild, R. E.; Garrison, R. F.; Hiltner, W. A. (1983). "UBV photometry for southern OB stars". Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 51: 321. Bibcode:1983ApJS...51..321S. doi:10.1086/190852.
^ abcdefgVaz, L. P. R.; Cunha, N. C. S.; Vieira, E. F.; Myrrha, M. L. M. (1997). "V 3903 Sagittarii: A massive main-sequence (O7V+O9V) detached eclipsing binary". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 327: 1094. Bibcode:1997A&A...327.1094V.
^ abArellano-Córdova, K. Z.; Esteban, C.; García-Rojas, J.; Méndez-Delgado, J. E. (2021), "On the radial abundance gradients of nitrogen and oxygen in the inner Galactic disc", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 502: 225–241, arXiv:2012.06643, doi:10.1093/mnras/staa3903