An international team of astronomers analyzed photometric and spectroscopic observations
Object OGLE-BLG504.12.201843 (or O-201843 for short) was first discovered in 2015 as part of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE). Previous observations of this source have shown that it exhibits photometric variability with a period of 0.523419 days. Its almost year-long outbreaks are repeated every 950–1020 days.
Phase photometry of OGLE-BLG504.12.201843 at rest.
Credit & Copyright: Landry et al., 2022
The nature of O-201843 is still unclear, however,Taking into account its outburst, the object was initially classified as a candidate for cataclysmic variable (CV). They are binary star systems that consist of a primary white dwarf that accretes material from a normal companion star. They increase brightness unevenly and then fall back to a resting state.
Accretion is the process of increasing the mass of a celestial body through the gravitational attraction of matter onto it from the surrounding space.
After analyzing spectroscopic data, scientistsfound that O-201843 has Balmer absorption. The source was either a bright secondary star or a cold accretion disk. However, no features of a white dwarf or the usual signs of an unstable accretion disk were observed.
Summing up, the researchers noted that O-201843 may be a U Gem-type dwarf nova with extreme properties.
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Cover: illustration of a dwarf nova, hubblesite.org