V1413 Aql: Bright state?

Information about outbursts of eruptive stars, Be activity, ...
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Francois Teyssier
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V1413 Aql: Bright state?

Post by Francois Teyssier »

ATEL #11079

Title: Toward a new bright state of the symbiotic nova AS 338 after
those of 1983, 1995 and 2010 ?
Author: U. Munari (INAF Padova), S. Dallaporta, G. L. Righetti, P.
Valisa (ANS Collaboration)

The symbiotic nova AS 338 (=V1413 Aql) has gone into outburst in 1981
(Schulte-Ladbeck 1985, Msngr 39, 3), and has not yet returned to quiescence
after 36 years. The preceding quiescence was characterized by a mean
B=15.7 mag brightness, with a large amplitude modulation caused by
irradiation of the M5III giant by the WD companion in a 434 day orbit
(Munari 1992, A&A 257, 163). The quiescence spectrum was dominated by
strong emission lines betraying high ionization conditions, with HeII 4686
at half the intensity of Hbeta, [FeVII], [NeV] and Raman scattered OVIat
6825 Ang (Allen 1984, PASAu 5, 369). In outburst the spectrum of AS 338
lost and never regained the higher ionization emission lines, with a bright
hot continuum dominating optical spectra. The light-curve changed from one
dominated by irradiation to deep eclipses of the outbursting WD, while
preserving the 434.3 day period and its phasing.

The mean brightness level of AS 338 during the outburst is slowly varying,
in a way possibly resembling the long term behavior of MWC 560 (=V694 Mon;
Munari et al. 2016, NewA 49, 43). After the initial peak reached at V~10.5
in 1983, which was followed by an extremely tedious decline to V~13.2 by
1992, the nova underwent two large re-brightening in 1995 (reaching V~11.0) and
2010 (at V~11.5), declining to a minimum V~13.7 in between. A rise toward
a new maximum seems now underway.

We are keeping AS 338 under strict monitoring since 2005, collecting BVRI
photometry with various ANS Collaboration telescopes and low- and high-res
spectra with the Asiago 1.22m and Varese 0.61m telescopes. After an unusual
profile for the last eclipse (centered on 2017 July 7 when we measured
B=15.274, V=14.682, R=12.952, I=11.668), the star levelled off and it was
measured at B=14.453, V=13.743, R=12.381, I=11.270 on 2017 Dec 6.7, after which it
begun a steep rise in brightness bringing it to B=13.175 on Dec 16.7 and B=12.645
V=11.863, R=11.080, I=10.287 on Dec 19.7 (UT), for a mean rise in the B
band of 0.18 mag/day.

Even larger are the associated spectral changes.
High emission lines (in particular HeII 4686 Ang), which have been absent or
at most very weak throughout the 36 years of the outburst, including the bright
phases of 1995 and 2010, were barely traceable also on our spectrum for
2017 Nov 30, taken just a few days before the onset of the current steep rise
in brightness.
A new spectrum taken on 2017 Dec 20.7, show now instead a bright 4640 NIII
complex and a prominent HeII 4686, about half the intensity of Hbeta, plus
stronger than ever HeI lines.

This symbiotic nova is obviously worth a strict monitoring to trace if
the current steep rise in brightness will mature into a full flagged third
bright phase, following those of 1995 and 2010, and if the spectral evolution
will confirm the "hot" nature of the present event compared to the "cool"
type of the previous two, an alternance already seen in AG Dra.


AAVSO LightCurve (V + Vis)
V1413Aql_AAVSO.PNG
V1413Aql_AAVSO.PNG (17.25 KiB) Viewed 2698 times
Last spectrum in the database, obtained by James Foster
asdb_v1413aql_20170921_283.png
asdb_v1413aql_20170921_283.png (16.56 KiB) Viewed 2698 times
ARAS Eruptive Stars DataBase : http://www.astrosurf.com/aras/Aras_Data ... 413Aql.htm

François Teyssier
(Thanks to David Boyd for the message)
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