The Newly Active R Coronae Borealis Star, V2552 Oph

Abstract

In 2001, V2552 Oph (CD -22 12017, HadV98) quickly faded by several magnitudes in a manner typical of the R Coronae Borealis (RCB) stars. Photometry of V2552 Oph obtained over 70 years previous to 2001 shows no indication of variability. Optical spectra of this star subsequently confirmed that V2552 Oph is a member of the hydrogen deficient, carbon-rich RCB class of variables. It resembles the warm (T${}_{eff}\sim$ 7000 K) RCB stars such as R Coronae Borealis itself. Other RCB stars, such as XX Cam and Y Mus, have experienced similar periods of inactivity, going decades without significant dust formation. Further observations of V2552 Oph will be of great interest since there is an opportunity to monitor an RCB star that may be moving from prolonged inactivity into an active phase of dust production.

arXiv comment12 pages, 2 figures, PASP in press

References in corpus (2)

• The MACHO Project LMC Variable Star Inventory: X. The R Coronae Borealis Stars
• A High-resolution Spectrum of the R CrB Star V2552 Ophiuchi

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Variable Star Network: World Center for Transient Object Astronomy and Variable Stars
• New Magellanic Cloud R Coronae Borealis and DY Per type stars from the EROS-2 database: the connection between RCBs, DYPers and ordinary carbon stars
• R Coronae Borealis stars in the Galactic Bulge discovered by EROS-2
• Discovery of Five New R Coronae Borealis Stars in the MACHO Galactic Bulge Database
• A High-resolution Spectrum of the R CrB Star V2552 Ophiuchi
• New R Coronae Borealis stars discovered in OGLE-III Galactic Bulge fields from their mid- and near- infrared properties
• Abundance analyses of the new R Coronae Borealis stars: ASAS-RCB-8 and ASAS-RCB-10
• High-resolution optical spectroscopy of the R Coronae Borealis star V532 Ophiuchi at maximum light