V4332 Sagittarii is a

nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

-like event in the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the e ...

of Sagittarius. It was discovered February 24, 1994 at an apparent visual magnitude of 8.9 by Japanese amateur astronomer Minoru Yamamoto from Okazaki, Aichi, then confirmed by K. Hirosawa. Initially designated Nova Sagittarii 1994 #1, it was given the

variable star designation In astronomy, a variable star designation is a unique identifier given to variable stars. It uses a variation on the Bayer designation format, with an identifying label (as described below) preceding the Latin genitive of the name of the constell ...

V4332 Sgr. A spectra of the event taken March 4 lacked the characteristic features of a classical nova, with the only emission lines being of the Balmer series. Subsequent spectra showed a rapid decline in luminosity and a change of spectral type over a period of five days. By 2003, the object was ~1500 times less luminous than at peak magnitude and showed a spectrum of an M-type star. The nova-like event

V838 Mon V838 Monocerotis (Nova Monocerotis 2002) is a spectroscopic binary star system in the constellation Monoceros about 19,000 light years (6 kpc) from the Sun. The previously unremarked star was observed in early 2002 experiencing a major ...

and this outburst formed an unusual category of erupting stars. In 2003, N. Soker and R. Tylenda proposed an accretion scenario as an explanation. They noted that a merger of two

main sequence In astronomy, the main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Her ...

stars in a close binary orbit could explain the observed properties, a process now known as a

luminous red nova A luminous red nova (abbr. ''LRN'', pl. ''luminous red novae'', pl.abbr. ''LRNe'') is a stellar explosion thought to be caused by the merging of two stars. They are characterised by a distinct red colour, and a light curve that fades slowly with ...

. In this scenario, the decline in brightness and radius of V4332 Sgr was a consequence of the merged stellar envelope undergoing gravitational contraction. An infrared excess from the object suggests it has a circumstellar disk. The infrared spectrum of this feature showed an absorption band of water ice and a

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

emission band. By 2010, the stellar component had become concealed by a dusty disk viewed edge-on. This dust includes a significant component of alumina, with growing amounts of magnesia and

iron oxide Iron oxides are chemical compounds composed of iron and oxygen. Several iron oxides are recognized. All are black magnetic solids. Often they are non-stoichiometric. Oxyhydroxides are a related class of compounds, perhaps the best known of whic ...

See also

References

Further reading