Related papers: Eta Car and other LBVs

(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…

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…

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…

Eta Carinae is the nearest example of a supermassive, superluminous, unstable star. Mass loss from the system is critical in shaping its circumstellar medium and in determining its ultimate fate. Eta Car currently loses mass via a dense,…

We present radiation-driven wind models for Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) and predict their mass-loss rates. A comparison between our predictions and the observations of AG Car shows that the variable mass loss behaviour of LBVs is due the…

We present mid-IR observations of the Galactic Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) HR Car and its associated nebula carried out with the Spitzer Space Telescope using both IRAC and IRS, as part of a GTO program aimed to study stellar ejecta from…

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…

We report on the preliminary results of a three-year monitoring campaign of Galactic and Magellanic LBVs with both moderate and high resolution spectroscopy. We have collected more than 500 moderate-resolution spectra of 20 stars in the red…

The interaction between supernova ejecta and circumstellar matter, arising from previous episodes of mass loss, provides us with a means with which to constrain the progenitors of supernovae. Radio observations of a number of supernovae…

Recent work suggests that many luminous blue variables (LBVs) and B[e] supergiants (sgB[e]) are isolated, implying that they may be products of massive binaries, kicked by partner supernovae (SNe). However, the evidence is somewhat complex…

HR Carinae is one of the few Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) in the Galaxy. It has a nebula that appears bipolar. We have obtained imaging and high-dispersion, long-slit echelle data of the HR Car nebula, and confirmed that it is a bipolar…

Previous submillimetre (submm) observations detected 0.7 solar masses of cool dust emission around the Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) star Eta Carinae. These observations were hindered by the low declination of Eta Carinae and contamination…

Long secondary periods (LSPs), observed in a third of pulsating red giant and supergiant stars, are the only unexplained type of large-amplitude stellar variability known at this time. Numerous authors have explored various scenarios for…

We suggest that major Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) eruptions are a result of a periastron passage interaction with the secondary star. The interaction must take place when the primary envelope is in an unstable phase. In our model the mass…

The luminous blue variable (LBV) phase is a poorly understood stage in the evolution of high mass stars, characterized for its brevity and instability. The surroundings of LBV stars are excellent test beds to study their dense stellar winds…

We discuss moderate resolution spectra, multicolor photometry, and light curves of thirty-one of the most luminous stars and variables in the giant spiral M101. The majority are intermediate A to F-type supergiants. We present new…

Long-period variables (LPVs) are evolved red giant and supergiant stars whose pulsations provide unique insights into late stages of stellar evolution and serve as essential tools in modern astrophysics. Their period-luminosity and…

It remains unclear whether massive star evolution is facilitated by mass loss through stellar winds only, or whether episodic mass loss during an eruptive luminous blue variable (LBV) phase is also significant. LBVs exhibit unique…

We discuss the role of mass loss for the evolution of the most massive stars, highlighting the role of the predicted bi-stability jump that might be relevant for the evolution of rotational velocities during or just after the main sequence.…

We discuss, in the context of the single star scenario, the nature of the progenitors of Red Supergiants (RSG), of Luminous Blue Variables (LBV) and of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars. These three different populations correspond to evolved phases of…