The eruptive young star IRAS 21204+4913

Abstract

The results of photometric, polarimetric, and spectroscopic observations are presented for the young star IRAS 21204+4913, whose visible brightness has increased by $\approx 5^{\mathrm{m}}$ since October 2025. The star's absorption spectrum in the $0.36-0.75\mu$m range resembles those of A - F giants and supergiants, but it also exhibits molecular TiO bands. The brightening was accompanied by a significant increase in the degree of polarization of the stellar radiation (to $\approx 16\%$ in the I-band), likely due to scattering by dust in an expanding circumstellar shell. The P Cygni profile of the H$\alpha$ line implies a dusty wind velocity of $\approx 300$ km/s. We believe that the outburst of IRAS 21204+4913 is caused by an increase in the accretion rate of protoplanetary disk's matter onto the young star with a mass of $\lesssim 0.5$ M${}_{\odot }$ to $\gtrsim 3\times 10^{-5}$ M${}_{\odot }$ yr${}^{-1}$. Furthermore, IRAS 21204+4913 displays several unusual features: the dependence of the width and radial velocity of absorption lines on the excitation potential, emission in the TiO molecular bands, and a comparably bright outburst that occured in 1948. Several T Tauri stars and a group of Herbig-Haro objects are found in the vicinity of the star.

17 pages, 12 figures. The recent photometry has been added in comparison with v1. Accepted by Astronomy Letters