- symbiotique de forte excitation : [Fe VII], [Ne III], [NeVII], HI, He I, He II , [O III]
- l'une des rares étoiles symbiotiques dans lesquelles a été mis en évidence un disque d'accrétion. L'étoile géante emplit son lobe de Roche, caractéristique rare pour une étoile symbiotique.
- sa courbe de lumière présente des éclipses.
CI Cygni est entrée depuis 2008 dans une phase d'outbursts, qui semble similaire à celle qu'elle a connu entre 1971 et 1979.
Les spectres basse résolution de l'outburst de 2010 sont présentés ci-dessous.
En état calme, le spectre de CI Cyg est celui d'une géante M5 sur lequel se superposent des raies intenses HI, HeI, HeII, [NV], [Fe VII]. [Fe X] a été détecté à certaines époques (Swing and Struve, 1940). [O III] est en général trés faible.
En outburst, le spectre change radicalement d'aspect pour prendre celui d'une géante F (F3 II/Ib). La naine blanche s'étend jusqu'à un rayon de 28 Rs (Siviero & al., 2009). Lors de la phase de montée en luminosité, Les raies de fortes excitation (He II, [Fe VII]) s'affaiblissent, de même que l'intensité des bandes TiO, alors que les raies [O III] et [Ne III] se renforcent.
Au maximum, He II et [FeVII], de même que [O III] et [Ne III] disparaissent. Les bandes TiO disparaissent dans le continuum de type F. Les raies HI sont trés brillantes, avec un profil P Cygni. Les raies d'absorption typiques des supergéantes F apparaissent.
Cet outburst est le deuxième d'une nouvelle série. Il présente la particularité de coïncider avec une éclipse.
CI Cygni: the eclipse of the hot component, which is in strong outburst, is entering the phase of totality
ATel #2913; U. Munari (INAF Padova-Asiago), P. Valisa, A. Milani, G. Cherini, F. Castellani, S. Dallaporta, A. Siviero, A. Frigo (ANS Collaboration)
on 9 Oct 2010; 18:46 UT
Subjects: Optical, Binaries, Cataclysmic Variables, Novae
The symbiotic star CI Cyg is undergoing a major outburst phase that begun in 2008 (Munari et al. 2008, CBET #1487, Siviero et al. 2009, MNRAS 399, 2139), the first one after 30 years of flat quiescence. The current outburst phase is a close copy of the multi-maxima eruption that CI Cyg experienced in 1970-78. After a maximum at B=10.28, V=9.50, V−Rc=+0.80, V−Ic=+2.07 that occurred on the first week of October 2008, the star started to decline, reaching a minimum brightness B=12.1, V=11.0, V−Ic=+3.2 during March, 2010, values which are not too far away from to those observed during the long preceding quiescence. Almost immediately after, the star bounced back and started a rapid rise toward a second maximum (Munari et al. 2010, ATel #2732).
The rise toward a second maximum proceeded fast and unperturbed until August 24, 2010 when the star was measured at B=10.67 V=9.73, V−Rc=+1.14, V−Ic=+2.36. At that time, an eclipse of the outbursting component, by the M6III cool giant companion, started to become noticeable. The decline in magnitude has been linear since then. On 8 October 2010 the system has weakened to B=12.4, V=11.1, V−Rc=+1.40, V−Ic=+3.22, which are the same as at the center of totality during the last eclipse, which occurred in 2008. The orbital period of CI Cyg is 853.8 days.
The current eclipse, and in particular the totality phase that is starting right now, offer relevant opportunities to study the outer regions of the ionized circumstellar medium and to derive absolute magnitude, radius and temperature of the component in outburst.
The eclipse is deeply affecting the spectral appearance too. Comparing our Echelle spectra for August 21 (immediately before the beginning of the eclipse) and October 5, at the bottom of the eclipse, now the veiling of the absorption spectrum of the M6III giant is greatly reduced, and the relative intensity of emission lines largely different. The ratio of HeII/Hbeta equivalent widths changed from 1.58 on August 21 to 0.30 on October 5, for [OIII] 5007/HeI 5016 from 1.37 to 10.4, for OI 8446/Paschen from 2.4 to 15, for Halpha/HeI 6678 from 12 to 46, for [FeVII] 6087/[OI] 6300 from 2.5 to 1.5, and for Hgamma/[OIII] 4363 from 1.23 to 1.45. The sharp absorption component superimposed on Balmer and Paschen emission lines has reduced in strength, and the [OIII] lines changed from a saddle profile with a velocity separation of 70 km/sec to a more Gaussian one with FWHM=140 km/sec.
ATEL #2732
Title: CI Cyg toward a new maximum in current major outburst phase
Author: U. Munari, A. Siviero (INAF Padova-Asiago), G. Cherini, S.
Dallaporta, P. Valisa (ANS Collaboration)
Queries: ulisse.munari@oapd.inaf.it
Posted: 12 Jul 2010; 15:16 UT
Subjects: Cataclysmic Variables, Novae, Variables
The symbiotic star CI Cyg is on a steep rise toward a second maximum in
the major outburst phase it entered in 2008 (Munari et al. 2008, CBET
1487), the first one after 30 years of flat quiescence.
CI Cyg has experienced only a few outbursts in its long recorded
history. The outbursts of 1911 and 1937 have been modest in both brightness
amplitude and duration. Then, between 1970 and 1978 CI Cyg experienced
a major outburst phase, characterized by three maxima occurring on Nov
1971 (V=9.3), Nov 1973 (V=9.8) and Aug 1975 (V=8.7) and minima (V=11.1)
on Jun 1973 and Mar 1975. One further and sharper minimum, centered
on Oct 4, 1975 (at V=11.1), was caused by a total eclipse of the outbursting
component by the M5.5 III companion, following the ephemeris Min(V)
= 2442690 + 853.8xE (Belyakina 1984, Izv.Krym.Astrofiz.Obs. 68, 108;
Fekel et al. 2000, AJ 119, 1375).
The current outburst is a close copy of that CI Cyg experienced in
1970-78. After a maximum at V=9.50, B−V=+0.78, V−Rc=+0.80,
V−Ic=+2.07 that occurred on the first week of October 2008 (Siviero
et al. 2009, MNRAS 399, 2139), CI Cyg declined steadily and reached
minimum brightness at V=11.0, B-V=+1.1, V−Ic=+3.2 on March 2010.
The time delay between maximum and minimum has been about about 550
days, as for the 1970-78 event. At the time of the latter, a rise
toward a second maximum started soon after the first minimum. The same
is occurring right now, with CI Cyg currently on the rise toward a new
maximum. The last measurement we collected gives V=10.44, B-V=+1.19,
V-Rc=+1.18, V-Ic=+2.88 on July 9, 2010.
If the similarity with the 1970-78 active phase will be maintained,
the second maximum around V=9.8 should be reached in a few weeks time.
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Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 399, 2139-2145 (2009)
The ongoing 2008-09 outburst of CI Cyg.
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