The unusual pre-main-sequence star VY Tauri

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

15

Pre-Main Sequence Stars, Stellar Spectra, Absorption Spectra, Balmer Series, Emission Spectra, Light Curve, T Tauri Stars

Scientific paper

VY Tau is a pre-main-sequence star in the Taurus-Auriga clouds which differs from conventional T Tauri stars in two respects: (1) its light curve, featuring sporadic outbursts from about B = 14 to 11-12 interspersed with many years of inactivity; (2) its remarkable emission spectrum, dominated by low-level lines of Fe I, Si I, Mg I with an excitation temperature of about 2700 K. Higher excitation species such as Fe II and the Balmer lines are relatively weak. An MO V absorption spectrum is present when the star is inactive. Some very tentative models that might account for the unusual spectrum and photometric behavior are offered. Since there is no significant infrared excess, an interpretation in terms of an accretion or passive reprocessing disk is not called for. The discussion is based on old spectroscopic material, largely collected prior to 1972, when the star was last active. There is need for a modern reinvestigation at all wavelengths, particularly when the activity resumes.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

The unusual pre-main-sequence star VY Tauri does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The unusual pre-main-sequence star VY Tauri, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The unusual pre-main-sequence star VY Tauri will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1401318

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.