High-mass triple systems: The classical Cepheid Y Carinae

We have obtained a Hubble Space Telescope STIS ultraviolet high-dispersion echelle-mode spectrum of the binary companion of the double-mode classical Cepheid Y Car. The velocity measured for the hot companion from this spectrum is very different from reasonable predictions for binary motion, implying that the companion is itself a short-period binary. The measured velocity changed by 7 km s(-1) during the 4 days between two segments of the observation, confirming this interpretation. We summarize binary'' Cepheids that are in fact members of a triple system and find that at least 44% are triples. The summary of information on Cepheids with orbits makes it likely that the fraction is underestimated.