An unusually brilliant transient in the galaxy M85

S. R. Kulkarni (), E. O. Ofek, A. Rau, S. B. Cenko, A. M. Soderberg, D. B. Fox, A. Gal-Yam, P. L. Capak, D. S. Moon, W. Li, A. V. Filippenko, E. Egami, J. Kartaltepe and D. B. Sanders
Additional contact information
S. R. Kulkarni: Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24,
E. O. Ofek: Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24,
A. Rau: Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24,
S. B. Cenko: Space Radiation Laboratory 220-47, California Institute of Technology, California 91125, USA
A. M. Soderberg: Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24,
D. B. Fox: Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
A. Gal-Yam: Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24,
P. L. Capak: Caltech Optical Observatories 105-24,
D. S. Moon: Space Radiation Laboratory 220-47, California Institute of Technology, California 91125, USA
W. Li: 601 Campbell Hall, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
A. V. Filippenko: 601 Campbell Hall, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
E. Egami: Steward Observatory, 933 N. Cherry Avenue, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
J. Kartaltepe: Institute of Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
D. B. Sanders: Institute of Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA

Nature, 2007, vol. 447, issue 7143, 458-460

Abstract: Bright prospect Many important astronomical discoveries began with the sighting of a transient light or radio source. The unusually brilliant optical transient OT2006-1, spotted in the galaxy Messier 85 in the Virgo Cluster in January 2006, is therefore of great interest. Kulkarni et al. report on the discovery and the first few months of life of the new source, which was brighter than a nova, but fainter than a supernova. A trawl through the archives of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal no signs of a progenitor. This and the nature of the host galaxy point to a merger between two old stars as a possible cause for what has been dubbed a 'luminous red nova'.

Date: 2007
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DOI: 10.1038/nature05822

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