The dramatic transition of the extreme Red Supergiant WOH G64 to a Yellow Hypergiant
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2024
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| _version_ | 1866914353203118080 |
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| author | Munoz-Sanchez, G. Kalitsounaki, M. de Wit, S. Antoniadis, K. Bonanos, A. Z. Zapartas, E. Boutsia, K. Christodoulou, E. Maravelias, G. Soszynski, I. Udalski, A. |
| author_facet | Munoz-Sanchez, G. Kalitsounaki, M. de Wit, S. Antoniadis, K. Bonanos, A. Z. Zapartas, E. Boutsia, K. Christodoulou, E. Maravelias, G. Soszynski, I. Udalski, A. |
| contents | Red Supergiants (RSGs) are cool, evolved massive stars in their final evolutionary stage before exploding as a supernova. However, the evolution and fate of the most luminous RSGs remain uncertain. Observational evidence for luminous warm, post-RSG objects and the apparent lack of luminous RSGs as supernova progenitors suggest a blueward evolution. Since the 1980s, WOH G64 has been considered the most extreme RSG in the Large Magellanic Cloud, given its large obscuration, outstanding size, luminosity, and mass-loss rate. Here we report a sudden, yet smooth change in its apparent nature. Time-series photometry and subsequent spectroscopy revealed the most extreme transition ever seen in the optical spectral features of a RSG. We discovered that WOH G64 is a rare, massive symbiotic binary system where the RSG transitioned to a Yellow Hypergiant. The dramatic transition can be explained either by the partial ejection of the pseudo-atmosphere during a common-envelope phase, or the return to a quiescent state after an outstanding eruption exceeding 30 years. WOH G64 offers a unique opportunity to witness stellar evolution in real-time and assess the role of binarity on the final phases of massive stars and their resulting supernovae. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2411_19329 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The dramatic transition of the extreme Red Supergiant WOH G64 to a Yellow Hypergiant Munoz-Sanchez, G. Kalitsounaki, M. de Wit, S. Antoniadis, K. Bonanos, A. Z. Zapartas, E. Boutsia, K. Christodoulou, E. Maravelias, G. Soszynski, I. Udalski, A. Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Red Supergiants (RSGs) are cool, evolved massive stars in their final evolutionary stage before exploding as a supernova. However, the evolution and fate of the most luminous RSGs remain uncertain. Observational evidence for luminous warm, post-RSG objects and the apparent lack of luminous RSGs as supernova progenitors suggest a blueward evolution. Since the 1980s, WOH G64 has been considered the most extreme RSG in the Large Magellanic Cloud, given its large obscuration, outstanding size, luminosity, and mass-loss rate. Here we report a sudden, yet smooth change in its apparent nature. Time-series photometry and subsequent spectroscopy revealed the most extreme transition ever seen in the optical spectral features of a RSG. We discovered that WOH G64 is a rare, massive symbiotic binary system where the RSG transitioned to a Yellow Hypergiant. The dramatic transition can be explained either by the partial ejection of the pseudo-atmosphere during a common-envelope phase, or the return to a quiescent state after an outstanding eruption exceeding 30 years. WOH G64 offers a unique opportunity to witness stellar evolution in real-time and assess the role of binarity on the final phases of massive stars and their resulting supernovae. |
| title | The dramatic transition of the extreme Red Supergiant WOH G64 to a Yellow Hypergiant |
| topic | Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Astrophysics of Galaxies High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.19329 |