Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We report the discovery of a nearby FU Ori–type outburst (FUor), PR Ori B, in the L1641 cluster of the Orion star-forming region. The high-amplitude variability was first identified in the NEOWISE (3–5 μ m) photometry of the unresolved PR Ori binary system. Long-term, resolved optical photometric monitoring demonstrates that PR Ori B is the driver of a Δ G = 5 mag outburst, while PR Ori A has remained constant over the past 20 yr. The near-IR spectrum of PR Ori B changes from a late K-type spectral type during quiescence to a viscously heated disk during outburst, including deep absorption in 12 CO and H 2 O bands. The optical spectrum also exhibits features that are commonly associated with FUors, including P Cygni profiles in Na i D lines and absorption in the Ca ii infrared triplet. The luminosity of the outburst ( L acc ∼ 30–40 L ⊙ ) is similar to that commonly observed in FUors. The comparison of Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph and Very Large Telescope/VISIR spectroscopy shows some evidence of silicate crystallization during the outburst. PR Ori B is one of the closest and brightest FUors discovered over the past few years, only one magnitude fainter than the archetype of the class FU Ori. The proximity and brightness will allow for future high angular resolution observations to probe the physics of the inner disk and to evaluate changes in the disk due to the increased luminosity.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
Authors: Carlos Contreras Peña, Zsófia Nagy, Gregory 雷歌 Herczeg 沈, Jeong-Eun 정은 Lee 이, Ágnes Kóspál, Péter Ábrahám, Doug Johnstone, Bo Reipurth, Chul-Hwan 철환 Kim 김, Hyun-Il 현일 Sung 성, Yihan Li, Jiaze Wang, Rui Wu, Foteini Lykou, Mizna Ashraf, John Bally, Fernando Cruz-Saénz de Miera, Min Fang, Eleonora Fiorellino, Christoffer Fremling, Teresa Giannini, Jessy Jose, Mansi Kasliwal, Mária Kun, Ho-Gyu 호규 Lee 이, Michal Siwak, Máté Szilágyi, Sung-Yong 성용 Yoon 윤, Zsófia Bora, Borbála Cseh, Ágoston Horti-Dávid, Zsóka Horváth, András Peter Joó, Csilla Kalup, Klára Lelkes, András Pál, Zsolt Regály, Krisztián Sárneczky, Bálint Seli, Ádám Sódor, Norton O. Szabó, Zsófia Szabó, Róbert Szakáts, Nóra Takács, Miguel Vioque
Institutions: Seoul National University, HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Peking University, University of Vienna, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, University of Victoria, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Planetary Science Institute, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati, Université de Toulouse, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Trieste Astronomical Observatory, National Institute for Astrophysics, University of Bologna, California Institute of Technology, Astronomical Observatory of Rome, Kyung Hee University, Eötvös Loránd University, European Southern Observatory, European Southern Observatory
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,499
Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, European Space Agency, European Commission, National Research Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Hungarian Scientific Research Fund, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, National Research Foundation of Korea, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea, National Science and Technology Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Nemzeti Kutatási, Fejlesztési és Innovaciós Alap, National Research, Development and Innovation Office, H2020 European Research Council
Awards: G1022029199, G19804352, G2340603345, G2815009617, G3360897862, Understanding our Galactic ecosystem: From the disk of the Milky Way to the formation sites of stars and planets, G445782895, G4581537389, G4641790177, G4927423465, G5566414014, G586508345, G612235306, G6155711494, G6248362886, G6340528518, G6410390788, G6943664901, G7339330145, G7483388087, G7489253783, G8072502976, G8787842239
OpenAlex ID: W7212144439