(Shortened) Luminous blue variable stars (LBVs) form dust as a result of episodic, violent mass loss. To investigate their contribution as dust producers in the Magellanic Clouds, we analyse 31 LBVs from a recent census. We built a maximally complete multi-wavelength dataset of these sources from archival data from near-IR to millimetre wavelengths. We review the LBV classification on the basis of the IR SED. To derive characteristic dust parameters, we fitted the photometry resulting from a stacking analysis. For comparison we also stacked the images of low- and intermediate-mass evolved stars in the LMC. We find four classes of sources: 1) LBVs showing mid-IR dust emission plus near-IR free-free emission from an ionised stellar wind (Class 1a) or only mid-IR dust emission (Class 1b); 2) LBVs with a near-IR excess due to free-free emission only (Class 2); 3) objects with an sgB[e] classification; and 4) objects with no detected stellar winds and no circumstellar matter in their SEDs. From the stacking analysis of the 18 Class 1 and 2 objects in the LMC, we derived an integrated dust mass of $0.11^{+0.06}_{-0.03} M_\odot$. This is two orders of magnitude larger than the value inferred from stacking 1342 extreme-AGB stars. The dust mass of individual LBVs does not correlate with the stellar parameters, possibly suggesting that the dust production mechanism is independent of the initial stellar mass or that the stars have different evolutionary histories. The total dust yield from LBVs over the age of the LMC is $\sim 10^4-10^5 M_\odot$. LBVs are potentially the second most important source of dust in normal galaxies. The role of dust destruction in LBV nebulae by a possible subsequent SN blast wave has yet to be determined. Recent theoretical developments in the field of dust processing by SN shocks highlight the potential survival of dust from the pre-existing circumstellar nebula.
We report the serendipitous observations of 571 luminous supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds by the spectroscopic GALAH and TESS-HERMES surveys: 434 stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud and 137 in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We also find one star that appears associated with structured star formation in the Magellanic Bridge. Both of these surveys are aimed at the local volume of the Galaxy but have simple, magnitude-limited selection functions that mean they include some observations of luminous extra-Galactic stars. The surveys determine stellar parameter and abundances using The Cannon, a d…
The color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of young star clusters show that, particularly at ultraviolet wavelengths, their upper main sequences (MSs) bifurcate into a sequence comprising the bulk population and a blue periphery. The spatial distribution of stars is crucial to understand the reasons for these distinct stellar populations. This study uses high-resolution photometric data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope to study the spatial distributions of the stellar populations in seven Magellanic Cloud star clusters. The cumulative radial number fractions of blue stars within four clusters…
We analyze {\sl Hubble Space Telescope} observations of nine Large Magellanic Cloud star clusters with ages of 1--2 Gyr to search for evolved counterparts of blue straggler stars. Near the red clump regions in the clusters' color--magnitude diagrams, we find branches of evolved stars that are much brighter than normal evolved stars. We examine the effects of photometric artifacts, differential reddening, and field contamination. We conclude that these bright evolved stars cannot be explained by any of these effects. Our statistical tests show that the contributions of photometric uncertainties…
There is evidence that some red supergiants (RSGs) experience short lived phases of extreme mass loss, producing copious amounts of dust. These episodic outburst phases help to strip the hydrogen envelope of evolved massive stars, drastically affecting their evolution. However, to date, the observational data of episodic mass loss is limited. This paper aims to derive surface properties of a spectroscopic sample of fourteen dusty sources in the Magellanic Clouds using the Baade telescope. These properties may be used for future spectral energy distribution fitting studies to measure the mass l…
Using the high-resolution observations obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope, we analyzed the blue straggler stars (BSSs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud cluster NGC 2213. We found that the radial distribution of BSSs is consistent with that of the normal giant stars in NGC 2213, showing no evidence of mass segregation. However, an analytic calculation carried out for these BSSs shows that they are already dynamically old, because the estimated half-mass relaxation time for these BSSs is significantly shorter than the isochronal age of the cluster. We also performed direct N-body simulations fo…
High-resolution {\sl Hubble Space Telescope} imaging observations show that the radial distribution of the field-decontaminated sample of 162 'blue straggler' stars (BSs) in the $11.7^{+0.2}_{-0.1}$ Gyr-old Large Magellanic Cloud cluster Hodge 11 exhibits a clear bimodality. In combination with their distinct loci in color--magnitude space, this offers new evidence in support of theoretical expectations that suggest different BS formation channels as a function of stellar density. In the cluster's color--magnitude diagram, the BSs in the inner 15$"$ (roughly corresponding to the cluster's core…
Some of the Wolf-Rayet stars are found to have very high bolometric luminosities (more than 1000000 solar). We employ the Potsdam Wolf-Rayet (PoWR) model atmospheres for their spectral analysis, which yields the bolometric corrections. Distance and interstellar reddening also enter the luminosity estimates. Among the Galactic stars, there is a group of very luminous WNL stars (i.e. WR stars of late subtype from nitrogen sequence with hydrogen being depleted in their atmospheres, but not absent). Their distances are often the major source of uncertainty. From K-band spectroscopy we found a very…
Classical supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) are understood as close binary systems in which a massive white dwarf (WD) accretes from its companion at rates sustaining steady hydrogen burning on its surface generating bolometric luminosities of $10^{36}-2\times10^{38}$ erg/s. Here, we perform for the first time the global supersoft X-rays to near-infrared (NIR) spectral energy distribution (SED) for the brightest SSSs in LMC and SMC. We test a model in which the ultraviolet--NIR is dominated by the emission from a compact (unresolved) circumstellar nebula represented by the ionized gas out-flowing…
We have analyzed populations of blue straggler stars (BSSs) in 24 Magellanic Cloud star clusters using multi-passband Hubble Space Telescope images. We compiled a homogeneous BSS database, containing both traditional and evolved BSSs. We uncovered a sub-linear correlation between the number of BSSs in the cluster cores and the clusters' core masses, characterized by a power-law index of $0.51\pm 0.07$. For low stellar collision rates, the mass-normalized number of BSSs depends only weakly (or perhaps not at all) on the collision rate, implying that the binary-driven BSS formation channel domin…
Blue straggler stars have been proposeed as powerful indicators to measure the dynamical state of Galactic globular clusters. Here we examine for the first time if this framework of blue straggler stars as dynamical clocks, which was specifically developed for Galactic globular clusters, may also hold for younger globular clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Using Hubble Space Telescope observations, we study seven Large Magellanic Cloud star clusters with ages between ~700 Myr and 7 Gyr. We confirm that our sample clusters are consistent with the empirical correlation previously derived fo…
We study the kinematics of luminous blue variables (LBVs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Using high-resolution spectra, we measure the systemic radial velocities for a sample of 16 LBVs and LBV candidates. In order to measure the net motion of LBVs compared to their local environments, we subtract the projected line-of-sight velocity at the same location derived from the rotation curve model of the LMC. Using nebular and wind emission lines, we infer a velocity dispersion for LBVs of $40.0^{+9.9}_{-6.6}$ km s$^{-1}$. To put LBVs in context with other evolved massive stars, we compare thi…
We present an atlas composed of more than 1500 spectra of late-type stars (spectral types from G to M) observed simultaneously in the optical and calcium triplet spectral ranges. These spectra were obtained as part of a survey to search for cool supergiants in the Magellanic Clouds and were taken over four epochs. We provide the spectral and luminosity classification for each spectrum (71% are supergiants, 13% are giants or luminous giants, 4% are carbon or S stars, and the remaining 12% are foreground stars of lesser luminosities). We also provide a detailed guide for the spectral classificat…
We present the properties of the recently discovered class of variable stars, Blue Large-Amplitude Pulsators (BLAPs). These extremely rare, short-period pulsating objects were detected thanks to regular, high-cadence observations of hundreds of millions of Milky Way stars by the OGLE variability survey. The new variables closely resemble classical pulsators, Cepheids, and RR Lyrae-type stars, but at effective temperatures at which pulsations are due to the presence of iron-group elements. Theory shows that BLAPs are evolved low-mass stars with a giant-like structure, but their origin remains a…
We have undertaken a near-infrared spectral survey of stars associated with compact mid-IR shells recently revealed by the MIPSGAL (24 micron) and GLIMPSE (8 micron) Spitzer surveys, whose morphologies are typical of circumstellar shells produced by massive evolved stars. Through spectral similarity with known Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars, a large population of candidate LBVs (cLBVs) and a smaller number of new WR stars are being discovered. This significantly increases the Galactic cLBV population and confirms that nebulae are inherent to most (if not all) objects of…
CONTEXT: The RAVE spectroscopic survey for galactic structure and evolution obtains 8400-8800 Ang spectra at 7500 resolving power at the UK Schmidt Telescope using the 6dF multi-fiber positioner. More than 300,000 9<I<12 and |b|>25 deg southern stars have been observed to date. AIMS: This paper presents the first intrinsic examination of stellar spectra from the RAVE survey, aimed at evaluating their diagnostic potential for peculiar stars and at contributing to the general understanding of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs). METHODS: We used the multi-epoch spectra for all seven LBVs observed, be…
On the spatial distribution of luminous blue variables in the M33 galaxy
Special Astrophysical Observatory（特别天文台）；Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences（俄罗斯科学院空间研究所）；Department of Informatics, University of Zürich（苏黎世大学信息学系）
One of the most unexpected results in the field of stellar populations of the last few years, is the discovery that some Magellanic-Cloud globular clusters younger than ~400 Myr, exhibit bimodal main sequences (MSs) in their color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). Moreover, these young clusters host an extended main sequence turn off (eMSTO) in close analogy with what is observed in most ~1-2 Gyr old clusters of both Magellanic Clouds. We use high-precision Hubble-Space-Telescope photometry to study the young star cluster NGC1866 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We discover an eMSTO and a split MS. The…
In previous work we identified a population of 38 cool and luminous variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds and examined 11 in detail in order to classify them as either Thorne-Żytkow Objects (TŻOs, red supergiants with a neutron star cores) or super-AGB stars (the most massive stars that will not undergo core collapse). This population includes HV\,2112, a peculiar star previously considered in other works to be either a TŻO or high-mass AGB star. Here we continue this investigation, using the kinematic and radio environments and local star formation history of these stars to place constraint…
Motivated by the detection of a recent outburst of the massive luminous blue variable LMC-R71, which reached an absolute magnitude M_V = -9.3 mag, we undertook a systematic study of the optical variability of 1268 massive stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, using a recent catalog by Bonanos et al. (2009) as the input. The ASAS All Star Catalog (Pojmanski 2002) provided well-sampled light curves of these bright stars spanning 10 years. Combining the two catalogs resulted in 599 matches, on which we performed a variability search. We identified 117 variable stars, 38 of which were not known bef…
We present archival Spitzer IRS spectra of 19 luminous 8 micron selected sources in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The object classes derived from these spectra and from an additional 24 spectra in the literature are compared with classifications based on 2MASS/MSX (J, H, K, and 8 micron) colors in order to test the "JHK8" classification scheme (Kastner et al. 2008). The IRS spectra confirm the classifications of 22 of the 31 sources that can be classified under the JHK8 system. The spectroscopic classification of 12 objects that were unclassifiable in the JHK8 scheme allow us to characteri…
We identify IRAS 16115-5044, which was previously classified as a protoplanetary nebula (PPN), as a candidate luminous blue variable (LBV). The star has high luminosity (>10$^{5.75}$ L_Sun), ensuring supergiant status, has a temperature similar to LBVs, is photometrically and spectroscopically variable, and is surrounded by warm dust. Its near-infrared spectrum shows the presence of several lines of HI, He I, Fe II, Fe [II], MgII, and Na I with shapes ranging from pure absorption and P Cygni profiles to full emission. These characteristics are often observed together in the relatively rare LBV…
We present a catalog of 417 luminous infrared variable stars with periods exceeding 250 days. These were identified in 20 nearby galaxies by the ongoing SPIRITS survey with the Spitzer Space Telescope. Of these, 359 variables have $M_{[4.5]}$ (phase-weighted mean magnitudes) fainter than $-12$ and periods and luminosities consistent with previously reported variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud. However, 58 variables are more luminous than $M_{[4.5]} = -12$, including 11 that are brighter than $M_{[4.5]} = -13$ with the brightest having $M_{[4.5]} = -15.51$. Most of these bright variable sou…
The hot massive luminous blue variables (LBVs) represent an important evolutionary phase of massive stars. Here, we report the discovery of a new LBV -- LAMOST J0037+4016 in the distant outskirt of the Andromeda galaxy. It is located in the south-western corner (a possible faint spiral arm) of M31 with an unexpectedly large projection distance of $\sim$ 22 kpc from the center. The optical light curve shows a 1.2 mag variation in $V$ band and its outburst and quiescence phases both last over several years. The observed spectra indicate an A-type supergiant at epoch close to the outburst phase a…
(abridged) A detailed study of the blue supergiant UIT005 (B2-2.5Ia+) in M33 is presented. The results of our quantitative spectral analysis indicate that the star is a very luminous, log(L/Lsun)~5.9 dex, and massive, M~50 Msun, object, showing a very high nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio in its surface (N/O~8, by mass). Based on the derived Mg and Si abundances, we argue that this high N/O ratio cannot be the result of an initial low O content due to its location on the disk of M33, known to present a steep metallicity gradient. In combination with the He abundance, the most plausible interpretation …
We present some preliminary results from our program of intensive near-infrared photometric monitoring of a sample of confirmed and candidate Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) conducted from 2008 to 2010. Clear long-term variability has been observed for Wray 17-96 and V481 Sct, with overall brightness variation greater than 1 mag in the J band. Other sources, such as LBV 1806-20 showed detectable variability with amplitudes of few tenths of a magnitude with time-scale of about 60 days.
Recent IR surveys of the Galactic plane have revealed a large number of candidate Luminous Blue Variables. In order to verify these classifications we have been undertaking a long term spectroscopic and photometric monitoring campaign supplemented with tailored non-LTE model atmosphere analysis. Here we present a brief overview of selected aspects of this program, highlighting the prospects for identification, classification and quantitative analysis of LBVs in the near-IR spectral window.
Hubble Space Telescope survey of Magellanic Cloud star clusters. Binaries, mass functions, blue stragglers, and structural parameters
Università Degli Studi di Padova（帕多瓦大学）；Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova（意大利国家天体物理研究所帕多瓦天文台）；Australian National University（澳大利亚国立大学）；NSF’s NOIRLab（美国国家科学基金会NOIR实验室）
We evaluate the place of Eta Carinae amongst the class of luminous blue variables (LBVs) and show that the LBV phenomenon is not restricted to extremely luminous objects like Eta Car, but extends luminosities as low as log(L/Lsun) = 5.4 - corresponding to initial masses ~25 Msun, and final masses as low as ~10-15 Msun. We present a census of S Doradus variability, and discuss basic LBV properties, their mass-loss behaviour, and whether at maximum light they form pseudo-photospheres. We argue that those objects that exhibit giant Eta Car-type eruptions are most likely related to the more common…
We report the fifth confirmed Luminous Blue Variable/S Doradus variable in M31. In 2006, J004526.62+415006.3 had the spectrum of hot Fe II emission line star with strong P Cygni profiles in the Balmer lines. In 2010, its absorption line spectrum resembled an early A-type supergiant with H and Fe II emission lines with strong P Cygni profiles, and in 2013 the spectrum had fully transitioned to an F-type supergiant due to the formation of the optically thick, cool wind which characterizes LBVs at maximum light. The photometric record supports the LBV/S Dor nature of the variability. Its bolometr…
Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) are massive stars that show strong spectral and photometric variability. The question of what evolutionary stages they represent and what exactly drives their instability is still open, and thus is it important to understand whether LBVs without significant ongoing activity exist, and for how long such dormant LBVs may ``sleep''. In this article we investigate the long-term variability properties of the LBV candidate MN112, by combining its optical and infrared spectral data covering 12 years with photometric data covering nearly a century acquired by both modern…
We present a multi-wavelength study of the Galactic Luminous Blue Variable HR Carinae, based on new high resolution mid-infrared (IR) and radio images obtained with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), which have been complemented by far-infrared Herschel-PACS observations and ATCA archive data. The Herschel images reveal the large-scale distribution of the dusty emitting nebula, which extends mainly to the North-East direction, up to 70 arcsec from the central star, and is oriented along the direction of the space motion of the star. In the mid-infr…
In the standard view of massive star evolution, luminous blue variables (LBVs) are transitional objects between the most massive O-type stars and Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. With short lifetimes, these stars should all be found near one another. A recent study of LBVs in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) found instead that LBVs are considerably more isolated than either O-type stars or WRs, with a distribution intermediate between that of the WRs and red supergiants (RSGs). A similar study, using a more restricted sample of LBVs, reached the opposite conclusion. Both studies relied upon the distance…
We present a catalog of 5324 massive stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), with accurate spectral types compiled from the literature, and a photometric catalog for a subset of 3654 of these stars, with the goal of exploring their infrared properties. The photometric catalog consists of stars with infrared counterparts in the Spitzer, SAGE-SMC survey database, for which we present uniform photometry from 0.3-24 um in the UBVIJHKs+IRAC+MIPS24 bands. We compare the color magnitude diagrams and color-color diagrams to those of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), finding that the brightest infra…
While the extended main-sequence turn-offs (eMSTOs) found in almost all 1--2 Gyr-old star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds are often explained by postulating extended star-formation histories, the tight subgiant branches (SGBs) seen in some clusters challenge this popular scenario. Puzzlingly, the SGB of the eMSTO cluster NGC 419 is significantly broader at bluer than at redder colors. We carefully assess and confirm the reality of this observational trend. If we would assume that the widths of the features in color--magnitude space were entirely owing to a range in stellar ages, the star-for…
We present multi-epoch, multi-colour pre-outburst photometry and post-outburst light curves and spectra of the luminous blue variable (LBV) outburst Gaia16cfr discovered by the Gaia satellite on 1 December 2016. We detect Gaia16cfr in 13 epochs of Hubble Space Telescope imaging spanning phases of 10 yr to 8 months before the outburst and in Spitzer Space Telescope imaging 13 years before outburst. Pre-outburst optical photometry is consistent with an 18 Msun F8 I star, although the star was likely reddened and closer to 30 Msun. The pre-outburst source exhibited a significant near-infrared exc…
We present results of our study of the infrared properties of massive stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which are based on the Spitzer SAGE surveys of these galaxies. We have compiled catalogs of spectroscopically confirmed massive stars in each galaxy, as well as photometric catalogs for a subset of these stars that have infrared counterparts in the SAGE database, with uniform photometry from 0.3 to 24 microns in the UBVIJHKs+IRAC+MIPS24 bands. These catalogs enable a comparative study of infrared excesses of OB stars, classical Be stars, yellow and red supergiants, Wolf-Rayet s…
Stars with unusual properties can provide a wealth of information about rare stages of stellar evolution and exotic physics. However, determining the true nature of peculiar stars is often difficult. In this work, we conduct a systematic search for cool and luminous stars in the Magellanic Clouds with extreme variability, motivated by the properties of the unusual SMC star and Thorne-Żytkow Object (TŻO) candidate HV2112. Using light curves from ASAS-SN we identify 38 stars with surface temperatures T $<$ 4800K, luminosities $\log$(L/L$_\odot$) $>$ 4.3, variability periods $>$ 400 days, and var…
In this Letter, we report the results of spectroscopic and photometric monitoring of the candidate luminous blue variable (LBV) WS1, which was discovered in 2011 through the detection of a mid-infrared circular shell and follow-up optical spectroscopy of its central star. Our monitoring showed that WS1 brightened in the B, V and I bands by more than 1 mag during the last three years, while its spectrum revealed dramatic changes during the same time period, indicating that the star became much cooler. The light curve of WS1 demonstrates that the brightness of this star has reached maximum in 20…
We report the discovery of a circular mid-infrared shell around the emission-line star Wray 16-137 using archival data of the Spitzer Space Telescope. Follow-up optical spectroscopy of Wray 16-137 with the Southern African Large Telescope revealed a rich emission spectrum typical of the classical luminous blue variables (LBVs) like P Cygni. Subsequent spectroscopic and photometric observations showed drastic changes in the spectrum and brightness during the last three years, meaning that Wray 16-137 currently undergoes an S Dor-like outburst. Namely, we found that the star has brightened by \a…
An increasing number of non-terminal eruptions are being found in the numerous surveys for optical transients. Very little is known about these giant eruptions, their progenitors and their evolutionary state. A greatly improved census of the likely progenitor class, including the most luminous evolved stars, the Luminous Blue Varaibles (LBVs), and the warm and cool hypergiants is now needed for a complete picture of the final pre-SN stages of very massive stars. We have begun a survey of the evolved and un stable luminous star populations in several nearby resolved galaxies. In this second pap…
The mechanism by which supergiant (sg)B[e] stars support cool, dense dusty discs/tori and their physical relationship with other evolved, massive stars such as luminous blue variables is uncertain. In order to investigate both issues we have analysed the long term behaviour of the canonical sgB[e] star LHA 115-S 18. We employed the OGLE II-IV lightcurve to search for (a-)periodic variability and supplemented these data with new and historic spectroscopy. In contrast to historical expectations for sgB[e] stars, S18 is both photometrically and spectroscopically highly variable. The lightcurve is…
During an X-ray survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud, carried out with the XMM-Newton satellite, we detected significant soft X-ray emission from the central star of the high-excitation planetary nebula SMP SMC 22. Its very soft spectrum is well fit with a non local thermodynamical equilibrium model atmosphere composed of H, He, C, N, and O, with abundances equal to those inferred from studies of its nebular lines. The derived effective temperature of 1.5x10^5 K is in good agreement with that found from the optical/UV data. The unabsorbed flux in the 0.1-0.5 keV range is about 3x10^{-11} erg c…
Aims: We study the molecular environment of the luminous blue variable star G24.73+0.69 to investigate the origin of the two infrared shells around this massive star and to determine its effects on the surrounding interstellar medium. Methods: We analyze the distribution of the molecular gas using the 13CO J=1-0 emission extracted from the Galactic Ring Survey. We use near- and mid-infrared data from 2MASS and GLIMPSE to identify the young stellar objects in the field. Results: We discover the molecular counterpart of the outer infrared shell around G24.73+0.69. The CO shell was probably blown…
In a recent paper, Smith and Tombleson (2015) state that the Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds are isolated; that they are not spatially associated with young O-type stars. They propose a novel explanation that would overturn the standard view of LBVs. In this paper we test their hypothesis for the LBVs in M31 and M33 as well as the LMC and SMC. In M31 and M33, the LBVs are associated with luminous young stars and supergiants appropriate to their luminosities and positions on the HR Diagram. Moreover, in the Smith and Tombleson scenario most of the LBVs …
Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) oftentimes show double-troughed absorption in their strong Halpha lines, which are as yet not understood. Intriguingly, the feature has also been seen in the interacting supernova SN 2005gj, which was for this reason suggested to have an LBV progenitor. Our aims are to understand the double-troughed absorption feature in LBVs and investigate whether this phenomenon is related to wind variability. To this purpose, we perform time-dependent radiative transfer modeling using CMFGEN. We find that abrupt changes in the wind-terminal velocity - as expected from the bi-…
Stars more massive than about 8 Msun end their lives as a Supernova (SN), an event of fundamental importance Universe-wide. Theoretically, these stars have been expected to be either at the red supergiant, blue supergiant, or Wolf-Rayet stage before the explosion. We performed coupled stellar evolution and atmospheric modeling of stars with initial masses between 20 Msun and 120 Msun. We found that the 20 Msun and 25 Msun rotating models, before exploding as SN, have spectra that do not resemble any of the aforementioned classes of massive stars. Rather, they have remarkable similarities with …
If a massive star has lost significant mass during its red-supergiant stage, it would return to blue region in the HR diagram and spend a part of the core-He burning stage as a blue supergiant having a luminosity to mass ratio (L/M) considerably larger than about 10^4 (in solar units); the duration depends on the degree of internal mixing and on the metallicity. Then, various stellar pulsations are excited by enhanced κ-mechanism and strange mode instability. Assuming these pulsations to be responsible for (at least some of) the quasi-periodic light and radial-velocity variations in αCygni var…
We investigate the luminous star ELHC 10 located in the bar of the Large Magellanic Cloud, concluding that it is a SB1 long-period eclipsing binary where the main eclipse is produced by an opaque structure hiding the secondary star. For the more luminous component we determine an effective temperature of 6500 $\pm$ 250 $K$, log\,g = 1.0 $\pm$ 0.5 and luminosity 5970 L$_{\sun}$. From the radial velocities of their photospheric lines we calculate a mass function of 7.37 $\pm$ 0.55 M$_{\sun}$. Besides Balmer and forbidden N II emission, we find splitting of metallic lines, characterized by strong…
