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SN 2015bh: an LBV becomes NGC 2770s fourth SN. . . or not?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2017

Christina C. Thöne
Affiliation:
IAA-CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain email: cthoene@iaa.es
Antonio de Ugarte Postigo
Affiliation:
IAA-CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain email: cthoene@iaa.es Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels-Bohr-Institute, Univ. of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Giorgos Leloudas
Affiliation:
Department of Particle Physics & Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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Abstract

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Massive stars in the final phases of their lives frequently expel large amounts of material. An interesting example is SN 2009ip that varied in brightness years before its possible core-collapse. Here we present SN 2015bh in NGC 2770 that shows striking similarities to SN 2009ip. It experienced frequent variabilities for 21 years before a smaller precursor and the “main event” in May 2015. Its spectra are consistent with an LBV during the outburst phase and show a complex P-Cygni profile during the main event. Both SN 2009ip and 2015bh were always situated red-wards of LBVs in outburst in the HR diagram. Their final fate is currently still uncertain, SN 2009ip, however, is now fainter than in pre-explosion observations. If the star survives this event it is undoubtedly altered, and we suggest that these “zombie stars” could be LBVs evolving into a Wolf-Rayet (WR) star over a very short timescale.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2017 

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