PTF10fqs: A luminous red nova in the spiral galaxy messier 99

Mansi M. Kasliwal, Shri R. Kulkarni, Iair Arcavi, Robert M. Quimby, Eran O. Ofek, Peter Nugent, Janet Jacobsen, Avishay Gal-Yam, Yoav Green, Ofer Yaron, Derek B. Fox, Jacob L. Howell, S. Bradley Cenko, Io Kleiser, Joshua S. Bloom, Adam Miller, Weidong Li, Alexei V. Filippenko, Dan Starr, Dovi PoznanskiNicholas M. Law, George Helou, Dale A. Frail, James D. Neill, Karl Forster, D. Christopher Martin, Shriharsh P. Tendulkar, Neil Gehrels, Jamie Kennea, Mark Sullivan, Lars Bildsten, Richard Dekany, Gustavo Rahmer, David Hale, Roger Smith, Jeff Zolkower, Viswa Velur, Richard Walters, John Henning, Kahnh Bui, Dan McKenna, Cullen Blake

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) is systematically charting the optical transient and variable sky. A primary science driver of PTF is building a complete inventory of transients in the local universe (distance less than 200 Mpc). Here, we report the discovery of PTF10fqs, a transient in the luminosity "gap" between novae and supernovae. Located on a spiral arm of Messier 99, PTF10fqs has a peak luminosity of Mr = -12.3, red color (g - r = 1.0), and is slowly evolving (decayed by 1mag in 68days). It has a spectrum dominated by intermediate-width Hα (930kms-1) and narrow calcium emission lines. The explosion signature (the light curve and spectra) is overall similar to that of M85OT2006-1, SN2008S, and NGC300OT. The origin of these events is shrouded in mystery and controversy (and in some cases, in dust). PTF10fqs shows some evidence of a broad feature (around 8600) that may suggest very large velocities (10,000kms-1) in this explosion. Ongoing surveys can be expected to find a few such events per year. Sensitive spectroscopy, infrared monitoring, and statistics (e.g., disk versus bulge) will eventually make it possible for astronomers to unravel the nature of these mysterious explosions.

Original languageEnglish
Article number134
JournalAstrophysical Journal
Volume730
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2011

Keywords

  • stars: AGB and post-AGB
  • stars: mass-loss
  • supernovae: general
  • supernovae: individual (PTF 10fqs)
  • surveys

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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