B supergiants in the LMC Virtual Observatory Resource

Authors
  1. Kalari V.M.
  2. Vink J.S.
  3. Furey C.
  4. Salinas R.
  5. Udalski A.
  6. Pawlak M.
  7. Published by
    CDS
Abstract

Luminous blue variables (LBVs) exhibit unique variability features, characterized by episodic outbursts (>1mag) accompanied by spectroscopic changes (S Dor variables). It is debated if all massive stars undergo an LBV-like phase during their evolution, or instead LBVs are exotic phenomena. We aim to quantify the incidence of LBV-like variability in the blue supergiant (BSgs) population of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the OGLE survey. Here, we extend previous work in the Small Magellanic Cloud to the LMC, where we examine the light curves of 87 B Supergiants (BSgs) (out of 254 known BSgs) spanning timescales of twenty years, and 37 objects across a three year timescale for aperiodic variations resembling known S Dor variables. One blue supergiant, [ST92] 4-13, shows S Dor type photometric variations. New spectra of this object reveals a potential change in spectral type compared to the literature classification. However, based on its spectral characteristics and low luminosity and mass, we do not currently classify it as an LBV. Our study highlights the need to classify bona fide LBVs as stars undergoing both photometric and spectroscopic variations. Based on currently known stellar population of S Dor variables in the LMC, the lifetime of the S Dor phase is at most ~10^3^yrs, in agreement with our duty cycle study based on OGLE data in the SMC. This is orders of magnitude shorter than assumed in literature. Our discovery of LBV-like variability at low luminosities may suggest that S,Dor variations could arise from Eddington limit related physics over a wide range of stellar masses, rather than being linked to a unique evolutionary stage.

Keywords
  1. magellanic-clouds
  2. variable-stars
  3. b-stars
  4. supergiant-stars
  5. morgan-keenan-classification
  6. visible-astronomy
Bibliographic source Bibcode
2026A&A...708A.343K
See also HTML
https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/708/A343
IVOA Identifier IVOID
ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/708/A343

Access

Web browser access HTML
https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/708/A343
https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/708/A343
http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/708/A343
IVOA Table Access TAP
https://tapvizier.cds.unistra.fr/TAPVizieR/tap
Run SQL-like queries with TAP-enabled clients (e.g., TOPCAT).
IVOA Cone Search SCS
For use with a cone search client (e.g., TOPCAT).
https://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/708/A343/table1?
https://vizier.iucaa.in/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/708/A343/table1?
http://vizieridia.saao.ac.za/viz-bin/conesearch/J/A+A/708/A343/table1?

History

2026-04-28T11:08:13Z
Resource record created
2026-04-28T11:08:13Z
Created
2026-05-19T14:14:26Z
Updated

Contact

Name
CDS support team
Postal Address
CDS, Observatoire de Strasbourg, 11 rue de l'Universite, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
E-Mail
cds-question@unistra.fr