PHL 293B
PHL 293B is a low-metallicity blue compact dwarf galaxy. The name is also used to refer to a possible outburst and/or supernova imposter star observed to have disappeared from the galaxy.
Observation data Epoch J1950 Equinox J1950 | |
---|---|
Constellation | Aquarius |
Right ascension | 22h 28.1m[1] |
Declination | −0° 22′[1] |
Characteristics | |
Evolutionary stage | Luminous blue variable? |
Astrometry | |
Details | |
Other designations | |
Database references | |
SIMBAD | PHL 293B |
PHL 293 (Simbad mistakenly showing results for PHL 293B) |
Currently, scientists are still puzzled, and are unsure about whether this star even exists. At the moment, considered a luminous blue variable star.
Observation History
PHL 293 was first listed as entry 293 in a catalogue of faint blue stars published by Guillermo Haro and Willem Jacob Luyten in 1962.[4] In 1965, Thomas Kinman observed two faint companions to HL 293, about 1′ away, and called them A and B. HL 293 B was noted to be non-stellar, including a jet. Its redshift was measured and it was estimated to be an extragalactic object 22.6 MPc away.[5] It is sometimes called Kinman's Dwarf.[2] The acronym PHL has been applied since to distinguish from other HL catalogues and it is most commonly referred to by astronomers as PHL 293 B.[1] The galaxy was identified as a blue compact dwarf, a type of small irregular galaxy undergoing a strong burst of star formation.[3]
The spectrum of PHL 293B is unusual both for its low metallicity and for broad hydrogen emission lines with P Cygni profiles. The emission lines are interpreted as being from a single luminous blue variable star within the galaxy which was undergoing an outburst,[3] although this is disrupted by other publications. One alternative explanation would be a long-lived type IIn supernova.[6] These emission features in the spectrum of the galaxy faded during 2019 and by the end of the year had disappeared.[7]
Its disappearance was published in 2020.[8] The star in question is currently under surveillance, as astronomers scour space in search for it.
See also
- AG Carinae
- LBV 1806-20
- Eta Carinae (Tseen She)
- Hypergiant
- V838 Monocerotis
References
- French, H. B. (1980). "Galaxies with the spectra of giant H II regions". The Astrophysical Journal. 240: 41. Bibcode:1980ApJ...240...41F. doi:10.1086/158205.
- Terlevich, Roberto; Terlevich, Elena; Bosch, Guillermo; Díaz, Ángeles; Hägele, Guillermo; Cardaci, Mónica; Firpo, Verónica (2014). "High-velocity blueshifted Fe ii absorption in the dwarf star-forming galaxy PHL 293B: Evidence for a wind driven supershell?". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 445 (2): 1449–1461. arXiv:1409.1189. Bibcode:2014MNRAS.445.1449T. doi:10.1093/mnras/stu1806. S2CID 118457805.
- Izotov, Yuri I.; Thuan, Trinh X. (2009). "Luminous Blue Variable Stars in the two Extremely Metal-Deficient Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies DDO 68 and PHL 293B". The Astrophysical Journal. 690 (2): 1797–1806. arXiv:0809.3077. Bibcode:2009ApJ...690.1797I. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/690/2/1797. S2CID 14150936.
- Haro, G.; Luyten, W. J. (1962). "Faint Blue Stars in the Region near the South Galactic Pole". Boletin de los Observatorios Tonantzintla y Tacubaya. 3: 37. Bibcode:1962BOTT....3...37H.
- Kinman, T. D. (1965). "The Nature of the Fainter Haro-Luyten Objects". The Astrophysical Journal. 142: 1241. Bibcode:1965ApJ...142.1241K. doi:10.1086/148392.
- Burke, Colin J.; Baldassare, Vivienne F.; Liu, Xin; Foley, Ryan J.; Shen, Yue; Palmese, Antonella; Guo, Hengxiao; Herner, Kenneth; Abbott, Tim M. C.; Aguena, Michel; Allam, Sahar; Avila, Santiago; Bertin, Emmanuel; Brooks, David; Carnero Rosell, Aurelio; Carrasco Kind, Matias; Carretero, Jorge; Da Costa, Luiz N.; De Vicente, Juan; Desai, Shantanu; Doel, Peter; Eifler, Tim F.; Everett, Spencer; Frieman, Josh; García-Bellido, Juan; Gaztanaga, Enrique; Gruen, Daniel; Gruendl, Robert A.; Gschwend, Julia; et al. (2020). "The Curious Case of PHL 293B: A Long-lived Transient in a Metal-poor Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxy". The Astrophysical Journal. 894 (1): L5. arXiv:2002.12369. Bibcode:2020ApJ...894L...5B. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab88de. S2CID 211572824.
- Allan, Andrew P.; Groh, Jose H.; Mehner, Andrea; Smith, Nathan; Boian, Ioana; Farrell, Eoin J.; Andrews, Jennifer E. (2020). "The possible disappearance of a massive star in the low-metallicity galaxy PHL 293B". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 496 (2): 1902. arXiv:2003.02242. Bibcode:2020MNRAS.496.1902A. doi:10.1093/mnras/staa1629. S2CID 220302328.
- "Massive Variable Star Mysteriously Disappears from Distant Dwarf Galaxy | Astronomy | Sci-News.com". Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com.