A catalog of Gaia DR3 luminous blue variables and candidate luminous blue variables
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Context . Galactic luminous blue variables (LBVs) are rare, evolved massive stars whose defining evidence is long-term spectroscopic and photometric instability, including S Doradus-type cycles, and, in exceptional cases, giant eruptions. Candidate LBVs (cLBVs) share LBV-like spectra and/or circumstellar nebulae; however, they lack long-term observational datasets that would detect their long-term variability and confirm their classification as bona fide LBVs. Modern time-domain surveys provide homogeneous light curves for many Galactic massive stars, but each survey has its own limitations in terms of depth, temporal coverage, and observing cadence. Aims . Using confirmed Galactic LBVs as a control sample, we aim to test what Gaia DR3 and complementary photometric surveys can and cannot establish about LBV-type variability. Methods . We assembled a vetted sample of 75 Galactic LBVs and cLBVs with near- and mid-infrared photometry from 2MASS, MSX, WISE, GLIMPSE, and MIPSGAL. The infrared material was used to validate identifications, evaluate source confusion, and place objects in a circumstellar-dust context. We then constructed light curves from Gaia DR3, the Bochum survey, the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS SN), and the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), and analyzed large-amplitude and periodic cases with Lomb–Scargle (LS) and phase dispersion minimization (PDM) methods. Results . Gaia DR3 matches are available for 67% of the sample and 76% are reported as variable. We identify high-amplitude variables and periodic systems that may be binaries rather than classical LBVs. Six confirmed LBVs and five candidates show variations larger than ≈0.6 mag in the Gaia RP filter. Their light curves are examined and three periodic variables are identified. The light curves of OMN2000 LS1 and DWC2011 140 show primary and secondary minima, strongly suggesting eclipsing binary systems. OMN2000 LS1 has a well-constrained period of 80.29 d, and DWC2011 140 of 95.07 d.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: Maria Messineo, Donald F. Figer
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
OpenAlex ID: W7220442262