The Recurrent Eclipse of an Unusual Pre--Main-Sequence Star in IC 348

Abstract

The recurrence of a previously documented eclipse of a solar-like pre--main-sequence star in the young cluster IC 348 has been observed. The recurrence interval is 4.7 $\pm 0.1$ yr and portions of 4 cycles have now been seen. The duration of each eclipse is at least 3.5 years, or $\sim 75$% of a cycle, verifying that this is not an eclipse by a stellar companion. The light curve is generally symmetric and approximately flat-bottomed. Brightness at maximum and minimum have been rather stable over the years but the light curve is not perfectly repetitive or smooth and small variations exist at all phases. We confirm that the star is redder when fainter. Models are discussed and it is proposed that this could be a system similar to KH 15D in NGC 2264. Specifically, it may be an eccentric binary in which a portion of the orbit of one member is currently occulted during some binary phases by a circumbinary disk. The star deserves sustained observational attention for what it may reveal about the circumstellar environment of low-mass stars of planet-forming age.

Accepted for publication in ApJ (Letters)

References in corpus (7)

• Observations of IC348: The Disk Population at 2-3 Million Years
• The Orbit and Occultations of KH 15D
• A Multi-Year Photometric Study of IC 348
• A Variability Study of Pre-Main Sequence Stars in the Extremely Young Cluster IC 348
• The History of the Mysterious Eclipses of KH 15D: Asiago Observatory, 1967-1982
• The History of the Mysterious Eclipses of KH 15D II. Asiago, Kiso, Kitt Peak, Mt. Wilson, Palomar, Tautenburg and Rozhen Observatories, 1954-97
• An Unusual Eclipse of a Pre-Main Sequence Star in IC 348

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Short-period variability in the Class II methanol maser source G12.89+0.49 (IRAS 18089-1732)
• The unusual pre-main-sequence star V718 Per (HMW 15)
• Long-Term Photometry of IC 348 with the YETI Network
• Modulation of Circumstellar Extinction in a Young Binary System with a Low-Mass Companion in a Noncoplanar Orbit