Non-grey dimming events of KIC 8462852 from GTC spectrophotometry

Plot of the measured depths Dn in the five wavelengths indicated, versus the depths Dw
Plot of the measured depths Dn in the five wavelengths indicated, versus the depths Dw, averaged over all bands, for the 14 pointings with GTC that were taken at several dimming events of the star KIC 8462852.
Advertised on
Authors
D. Nespral
T. Boyajian
References
2018 A&A 610 L12
Link

We report ground-based spectrophotometry of KIC 8462852, during its first dimming events since the end of the Kepler mission. The dimmings show a clear colour-signature, and are deeper in visual blue wavelengths than in red ones. The flux loss' wavelength dependency can be described with an Ångström absorption coefficient of 2.19±0.45, which is compatible with absorption by optically thin dust with particle sizes on the order of 0.0015 to 0.15 μm. These particles would be smaller than is required to be resistant against blow-out by radiation pressure when close to the star. During occultation events, these particles must be replenished on time-scales of days. If dust is indeed the source of KIC 8462852's dimming events, deeper dimming events should show more neutral colours, as is expected from optically thick absorbers.

News type
Research news
Scope
Science and Technology
Astrophysics
Scientists

It may interest you

  • ALISIO-1 images of Popocatepetl volcano in Puebla, Mexico
    Press release
    The ALISIO-1 satellite shows its efficiency in following the eruptions of the Mexican volcano Popocatépetl
    During commissioning the Canary satellite ALISIO-1 proves its efficiency by observing phenomena in over 100 regions of the world The first Canary satellite, led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), ALISIO-1, (an acronym for Advanced Land-Imaging Satellite for Infrared Observations) was launched into space on December 1st 2023 from the Vandenberg Airforce Base in California, and in only a few months has completed the commissioning phase, the verification on orbit that all its systems are working correctly. In this phase of verification the DRAGO-2 camera has been calibrated, and
    Advertised on
  • The LST-1 telescope at La Palma
    Press release
    LST-1 telescope on La Palma detects the most distant quasar at very high energies
    The first Large-Sized Telescope (LST) prototype of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafía, La Palma), has made its first scientific discovery by detecting the source OP 313 above 100 gigaelectronvolts (GeV), a level of energy a billion times higher than the visible light that humans can perceive. It is the most distant quasar ever observed by gamma-ray instruments from the ground. On 15 December, the Large-Sized Telescope (LST) Collaboration announced through an Astronomer’s Telegram (ATel) the detection of the source OP
    Advertised on
  • Action space (normalized to the sum of the three actions of motion, Jtot) of Gaia RVS stars
    Research news
    The Metal-Poor Edge of the Milky Way’s Thin Disk
    The formation and evolution of the disk of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, remains an enigma in astronomy. In particular, the relationship between the thick disk and the thin disk —two key components of the Milky Way— is still unclear. Understanding the chemical and dynamical properties of the stars within these disks is crucial, especially in the parameter spaces where their characteristics overlap, such the metallicity regime around [Fe/H] ~ -0.7, which marks the metal-poor end of the thin disk, higher than that of the thick disk. This is often interpreted as an indication that the thin disk
    Advertised on