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Supernova impostors: LBV outbursts from the most massive stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

Schuyler D. Van Dyk
Schuyler D. Van Dyk*
Affiliation:
Spitzer Science Center/Caltech, Mail Code 220-6, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125, USA email: vandyk@ipac.caltech.edu
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Abstract

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Several recent luminous events that have been identified initially as supernovae (SNe) are probably not genuine SNe at all. Instead we argue that these events are more likely the outbursts, or super-outbursts, of very massive stars in the luminous blue variable (LBV) phase. At least two of these events are analogous to the Great 1843 Eruption of η Carinae.

Keywords

supernovae: generalsupernovae: individual (SN 1954J/Variable 12SN 1961VSN 1997bsSN 2000chSN 2002kg/Variable 37)