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| Paper: |
The history of a supergiant variable star in the bulge of M31 |
| Volume: |
11, Confrontation Between Stellar Pulsation and Evolution |
| Page: |
472 |
| Authors: |
Rich, R. Michael |
| Abstract: |
This paper describes the spectral evolution of an unusual late type supergiant which appeared in the bulge of M31 in September of 1988, and subsequently faded three bolometric magnitudes in 100 days. While the star's decline to invisibility resembles the behavior of a nova, Sharov (1990) finds that the star was also bright on archival plates taken in 1968, and that the star attaines maximum light three months prior to discovery by Rich et al.(1989). Although the bolometric light curve of the star resembles a nova's decline, the lack of forbidden line emission and the star's slow rise to maximum light pose difficulties for the hypothesis that the 'Red Variable' is a peculiar type of nova. Had the star been discovered and monitored only in blue light rather than the near-IR, it would have been judged to be a faint and unremarkable nova, its remarkable properties escaping notice. |
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