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Williams, SC, Darnley, MJ, Bode, MF and Steele, IA (2015) A Luminous Red Nova in M31 and its Progenitor System. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS, 805 (2). ISSN 2041-8205
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Abstract
We present observations of M31LRN 2015 (MASTER OT J004207.99+405501.1), discovered in M31 in January 2015, and identified as a rare and enigmatic luminous red nova (LRN). Spectroscopic and photometric observations obtained by the Liverpool Telescope showed the LRN becoming extremely red as it faded from its M(V) = -9.4 +/- 0.2 peak. Early spectra showed strong Halpha emission that weakened over time as a number of absorption features appeared, including Na I D and Ba II. At later times strong TiO absorption bands were also seen. A search of archival Hubble Space Telescope data revealed a luminous red source to be the likely progenitor system, with pre-outburst Halpha emission also detected in ground-based data. The outburst of M31LRN 2015 shows many similarities, both spectroscopically and photometrically, with that of V838 Mon, the best studied LRN. We finally discuss the possible progenitor scenarios.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | astro-ph.SR; astro-ph.SR |
| Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy |
| Divisions: | Astrophysics Research Institute |
| Publisher: | IOP PUBLISHING LTD |
| Related URLs: | |
| Date of acceptance: | 28 April 2015 |
| Date of first compliant Open Access: | 11 November 2015 |
| Date Deposited: | 08 May 2015 10:48 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Nov 2025 08:30 |
| URI: | https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/988 |
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