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We report the recent discovery of two new eruptions of the recurrent nova M31N 2017-01e in the Andromeda galaxy. The latest eruption, M31N 2024-08c, reached $R=17.8$ on 2024 August 06.85 UT, $\sim2$ months earlier than predicted. In addition to this recent eruption, a search of archival PTF data has revealed a previously unreported eruption on 2014 June 18.46 UT that reached a peak brightness of $R\sim17.9$ approximately a day later. The addition of these two eruption timings has allowed us to update the mean recurrence time of the nova. We find $\langle T_\mathrm{rec} \rangle = 924.0\pm7.0$ days ($2.53\pm0.02$ yr), which is slightly shorter than our previous determination. Thus, M31N 2017-01e remains the nova with the second shortest recurrence time known, with only M31N 2008-12a being shorter. We also present a low-resolution spectrum of the likely quiescent counterpart of the nova, a $\sim20.5$ mag evolved B star displaying an $\sim14.3$ d photometric modulation., Comment: 6 pages; 1 multi-panel figure; 1 table; expanded references; accepted for publication in the Research Notes of the AAS

Over the past several decades, time-series photometry of CSPNe has yielded significant results including, but not limited to, discoveries of nearly 100 binary systems, insights into pulsations and winds in young white dwarfs, and studies of stars undergoing very late thermal pulses. We have undertaken a systematic study of optical photometric variability of cataloged CSPNe, using the epochal photometric data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). By applying appropriate variability metrics, we arrive at a list of 94 significantly variable CSPNe. Based on the timescales of the light-curve activity, we classify the variables broadly into short- and long-timescale variables. In this first paper in this series, we focus on the former, which is the majority class comprising 83 objects. We infer periods for six sources for the first time, and recover several known periodic variables. Among the aperiodic sources, most exhibit a jitter around a median flux with a stable amplitude, and a few show outbursts. We draw attention to WeSb 1, which shows a different kind of variability: prominent deep and aperiodic dips, resembling transits from a dust/debris disk. We find strong evidence for a binary nature of WeSb 1 (possibly an A- to G-type companion). The compactness of the emission lines and inferred high electron densities make WeSb 1 a candidate for either an EGB 6-type planetary nucleus, or a symbiotic system inside an evolved planetary nebula, both of which are rare objects. To demonstrate further promise with ZTF, we report three additional newly identified periodic sources that do not appear in the list of highly variable sources. Finally, we also introduce a two-dimensional metric space defined by the von Neumann statistics and Pearson Skew and demonstrate its effectiveness in identifying unique variables of astrophysical interest, like WeSb 1., Comment: 19 pages + 8 pages appendix, 5 tables, 17 figures; Submitted to PASP; Comments are welcome!

We report the serendipitous discovery of a bow-shock nebula around the cataclysmic variable (CV) SY Cancri. In addition, SY Cnc lies near the edge of a faint Halpha-emitting nebula with a diameter of about 15'. The orientation of the bow shock is consistent with the direction of SY Cnc's proper motion. Nebulae are extremely rare around CVs, apart from those known to have undergone classical-nova (CN) outbursts; bow shocks and off-center nebulae are even more unusual. Nevertheless, the properties of SY Cnc and its nebulosity are strikingly similar to those of V341 Ara, another CV that is also associated with a bow shock and is likewise off-center with respect to its faint Halpha nebula. Both stars are binaries with optically thick accretion disks, belonging to the classes of Z Cam CVs or nova-like variables. We discuss three scenarios to explain the properties of the nebulae. They may have resulted from chance encounters with interstellar gas clouds, with the stars leaving in their wakes material that is recombining after being photoionized by UV radiation from the CVs. Alternatively, the large nebulae could be ejecta from unobserved CN outbursts in the recent past, which have been decelerated through collisions with the interstellar medium (ISM), while the stars continue to snowplow through the gas. Or the faint Halpha nebulae may be ambient ISM that was shock-ionized by a CN outburst in the past and is now recombining., Comment: Accepted by The Astronomical Journal

We present an analysis of 17 H-rich central stars of planetary nebulae (PNe) observed in our spectroscopic survey of nuclei of faint Galactic PNe carried out at the 10-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Our sample includes ten O(H) stars, four DAO white dwarfs (WDs), two DA WDs, and one sdOB star. The spectra were analyzed by means of NLTE model atmospheres, allowing us to derive the effective temperatures, surface gravities, and He abundances of the central stars. Sixteen of them were analyzed for the first time, increasing the number of hot H-rich central stars with parameters obtained through NLTE atmospheric modeling by approximately 20%. We highlight a rare hot DA WD central star, Abell 24, which has a $T_\mathrm{eff}$ likely in excess of 100kK, as well as the unusually high gravity mass of $0.70 \pm 0.05 \mathrm{M}_\odot$ for the sdOB star Pa 3, which is significantly higher than the canonical extreme horizontal-branch star mass of $\approx 0.48\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$. By investigating Zwicky Transient Facility light curves, which were available for our 15 northern objects, we found none of them show a periodic photometric variability larger than a few hundredths of a magnitude. This could indicate that our sample mainly represents the hottest phase during the canonical evolution of a single star when transitioning from an asymptotic giant branch star into a WD. We also examined the spectral energy distributions, detecting an infrared excess in six of the objects, which could be due to a late-type companion or to hot ($\approx 10^3$ K) and\or cool ($\approx 100$ K) dust. We confirm previous findings that spectroscopic distances are generally higher than found through Gaia astrometry, a discrepancy that deserves to be investigated systematically., Comment: accepted for publication in A&A

If a planetary nebula (PN) is shown to be a member of a star cluster, we obtain important new constraints on the mass and chemical composition of the PN's progenitor star, which cannot be determined for PNe in the field. Cluster membership can be tested by requiring the projected separation between the PN and cluster to be within the tidal radius of the cluster, and the objects to have nearly identical radial velocities (RVs) and interstellar extinctions, and nearly identical proper motions (PMs). In an earlier study, we used PMs to confirm that three PNe, which had already passed the other tests, are highly likely to be members of Galactic globular clusters (GCs). For a fourth object, the PN JaFu 1, which lies in the Galactic bulge near the GC Palomar 6 on the sky and has a similar RV, the available PM measurement gave equivocal results. We have now obtained new high-resolution images of the central star of JaFu 1 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) which, combined with archival HST frames taken 14 and 16 years earlier, provide a high-precision PM. Unfortunately, we find that the PM of the central star differs from that of the cluster with high statistical significance, and thus is unlikely to be a member of Palomar 6. Nevertheless, JaFu 1 is of astrophysical interest because its nucleus appears to be a member of the rare class of "EGB 6-type" central stars, which are associated with compact emission-line knots., Comment: Accepted by Astronomical Journal

The 30 year orbit of the Cepheid Polaris has been followed with observations by the CHARA Array (Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy) from 2016 through 2021. An additional measurement has been made with speckle interferometry at the Apache Point Observatory. Detection of the companion is complicated by its comparative faintness--an extreme flux ratio. Angular diameter measurements appear to show some variation with pulsation phase. Astrometric positions of the companion were measured with a custom grid-based model-fitting procedure and confirmed with the CANDID software. These positions were combined with the extensive radial velocities discussed by Torres (2023) to fit an orbit. Because of the imbalance of the sizes of the astrometry and radial velocity datasets, several methods of weighting are discussed. The resulting mass of the Cepheid is 5.13$\pm$ 0.28 $M_\odot$. Because of the comparatively large eccentricity of the orbit (0.63), the mass derived is sensitive to the value found for the eccentricity. The mass combined with the distance shows that the Cepheid is more luminous than predicted for this mass from evolutionary tracks. The identification of surface spots is discussed. This would give credence to the identification of photometric variation with a period of approximately 120 days as a rotation period. Polaris has some unusual properties (rapid period change, a phase jump, variable amplitude, unusual polarization). However, a pulsation scenario involving pulsation mode, orbital periastron passage (Torres 2023), and low pulsation amplitude can explain these characteristics within the framework of pulsation seen in Cepheids., Comment: ApJ in press

During our spectroscopic survey of central stars of faint planetary nebulae (PNe), we found that the nucleus of Abell 57 exhibits strong nebular emission lines. Using synthetic narrow-band images, we show that the emission arises from an unresolved compact emission knot (CEK) coinciding with the hot (90,000 K) central star. Thus Abell 57 belongs to the rare class of "EGB 6-type" PNe, characterized by dense emission cores. Photometric data show that the nucleus exhibits a near-IR excess, due to a dusty companion body with the luminosity of an M0 dwarf but a temperature of ~1800 K. Emission-line analysis reveals that the CEK is remarkably dense (electron density ~1.6x10**7 cm**-3), and has a radius of only ~4.5 AU. The CEK suffers considerably more reddening than the central star, which itself is more reddened than the surrounding PN. These puzzles may suggest an interaction between the knot and central star; however, Hubble Space Telescope imaging of EGB 6 itself shows that its CEK lies more than ~125 AU from the PN nucleus. We discuss a scenario in which a portion of the AGB wind that created the PN was captured into a dust cloud around a distant stellar companion; this cloud has survived to the present epoch, and has an atmosphere photoionized by radiation from the hot central star. However, in this picture EGB 6-type nuclei should be relatively common, yet they are actually extremely rare; thus they may arise from a different transitory phenomenon. We suggest future observations of Abell 57 that may help unravel its mysteries., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

We present optical spectroscopy of the 12th-mag central star of the planetary nebula (PN) Patchick 27 (Pa 27), obtained during a survey of faint PN nuclei (PNNi) with the Low-Resolution Spectrograph (LRS2) of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The optical spectrum of Pa 27 is that of a K0 III red giant with rotationally broadened lines. However, the star is detected in the near-ultraviolet (near-UV) with GALEX, showing that a hot binary component is also present. The spectral-energy distribution from the near-UV to the mid-infrared can be fitted with a combination of the K0 III giant and a hot PNN with an effective temperature of about 50,000 K. Photometric observations of Pa 27, both ground-based and from TESS, show a low-amplitude sinusoidal variation with a period of 7.36 days, probably due to starspots on a rotating and magnetically active cool giant. Pa 27 is a new member of the rare class of "Abell 35-type central stars," which are binary PNNi consisting of a spotted late-type star and a hot pre-white dwarf. They are likely the result of a situation where an AGB star ejects its outer layers in a dense wind, part of which is captured by a distant companion, spinning up its rotation by accretion of material and angular momentum. We suggest several useful follow-up observations., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

We present spectroscopy of three hydrogen-deficient central stars of faint planetary nebulae, with effective temperatures ($T_\mathrm{eff}$) in excess of 100,000 K. The nucleus of RaMul 2 is a Population II Wolf-Rayet star of spectral type [WC], and the central stars of Abell 25 and StDr 138 are two new members of the PG1159 class. Our spectral analyses reveal that their atmospheres have a similar chemical composition. They are dominated by helium and carbon, which was probably caused by a late helium-shell flash. Coincidentally, the three stars have similar masses of about $M=0.53\,M_\odot$ and, hence, form a post-AGB evolutionary sequence of an initially early-K type main-sequence star with $M=0.8\,M_\odot$. The central stars cover the period during which the luminosity fades from about $3000$ to $250\,L_\odot$ and the radius shrinks from about $0.15$ to $0.03\,R_\odot$. The concurrent increase of the surface gravity during this interval from $\log g$ = 5.8 to 7.2 causes the shutdown of the stellar wind from an initial mass-loss rate of $\log (\dot{M}/M_\odot\,$${\rm yr}^{-1}) = -6.4$, as measured for the [WC] star. Along the contraction phase, we observe an increase of $T_\mathrm{eff}$ from 112,000 K, marked by the [WC] star, to the maximum value of 140,000 K and a subsequent cooling to 130,000 K, marked by the two PG1159 stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A

Fr 2-30 = PN? G126.8-15.5 is a faint emission nebula, hosting a 14th-mag central star that we identify here for the first time. Deep Halpha and [O III] images reveal a roughly elliptical nebula with dimensions of at least 22'x14', fading into a surrounding network of even fainter emission. Optical spectrograms of the central star show it to have a subdwarf O spectral type, with a Gaia parallax distance of 890 pc. A model-atmosphere analysis gives parameters of Teff = 60,000 K, log g = 6.0, and a low helium content of nHe/nH = 0.0017. The location of the central star in the log g -- Teff plane is inconsistent with a post-asymptotic-giant-branch evolutionary status. Two alternatives are that it is a helium-burning post-extreme-horizontal-branch object, or a hydrogen-burning post-red-giant-branch star. In either case the evolutionary ages are so long that a detectable planetary nebula (PN) should not be present. We find evidence for a variable radial velocity (RV), suggesting that the star is a close binary. However, there are no photometric variations, and the spectral-energy distribution rules out a companion earlier than M2 V. The RVs of the star and surrounding nebula are discordant, and the nebula lacks typical PN morphology. We suggest that Fr 2-30 is a "PN mimic" -- the result of a chance encounter between the hot sdO star and an interstellar cloud. However, we note the puzzling fact that there are several nuclei of genuine PNe that are known to be in evolutionary states similar to that of the Fr 2-30 central star., Comment: Accepted by MNRAS

We report initial results from an ongoing spectroscopic survey of central stars of faint planetary nebulae (PNe), obtained with the Low-Resolution Spectrograph on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. The six PN nuclei (PNNi) discussed here all have strong emission at the O VI 3811-3834 A doublet, indicative of very high temperatures. Five of them--the nuclei of Ou 2, Kn 61, Kn 15, Abell 72, and Kn 130--belong to the hydrogen-deficient PG 1159 class, showing a strong absorption feature of He II and C IV at 4650-4690 A. Based on exploratory comparisons with synthetic model-atmosphere spectra, and the presence of Ne VIII emission lines, we estimate them to have effective temperatures of order 170,000 K. The central star of Kn 15 has a Wolf-Rayet-like spectrum, with strong and broad emission lines of He II, C IV, N V, and O V-VI. We classify it [WO2], but we note that the N V 4604-4620 A emission doublet is extremely strong, indicating a relatively high nitrogen abundance. Several of the emission lines in Kn 15 vary in equivalent width by factors as large as 1.5 among our four observations from 2019 to 2022, implying significant variations in the stellar mass-loss rate. We encourage spectroscopic monitoring. Follow-up high-time-resolution photometry of these stars would be of interest, given the large fraction of pulsating variables seen among PG 1159 and [WO] PNNi., Comment: Accepted by MNRAS

Nova Sagittarii 1943 (V1148 Sgr) was an 8th-mag optical transient that was unusual in having a late-type spectrum during its outburst, in striking contrast to the normal high-excitation spectra seen in classical novae. Unfortunately, only an approximate position was given in the discovery announcement, hampering follow-up attempts to observe its remnant. We have identified the nova on two photographic plates in the Harvard archive, allowing us to determine a precise astrometric position. Apart from these two plates, obtained in 1943 and 1944, none of the photographs in the Harvard collection, from 1897 to 1950, show V1148 Sgr to limits as faint as g ~ 18.3. Modern deep images show a candidate remnant at i ~ 19.2, lying only 0".26 from the site of the nova. V1148 Sgr may have been a luminous red nova (LRN), only the sixth one known in the Milky Way. However, it lacks the near- and mid-infrared excesses, and millimeter-wave emission, seen in other LRNe, leaving its nature uncertain. We urge spectroscopy of the candidate remnant., Comment: Accepted by Astronomical Journal

The visually brightest stars in globular clusters (GCs) are the ones evolving off the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and passing through spectral types F and A--the "yellow" post-AGB (yPAGB) stars. yPAGB stars are potentially excellent "Population II" standard candles for measuring extragalactic distances. A recent survey of the Galactic GC system, using uBVI photometry to identify stars of low surface gravities with large Balmer discontinuities, discovered a candidate luminous yPAGB star in the GC M19 (NGC 6273), designated ZNG 4. The same survey also identified a bright, hotter candidate blue PAGB star, ZNG 2, lying near the top of the white-dwarf cooling sequence. Both PAGB candidates have proper motions and parallaxes in the recent Gaia Early Data Release 3 consistent with cluster membership, but they still lacked spectroscopic verification. Here we present moderate-resolution spectra of both stars, confirming them as low-gravity objects that are extremely likely to be cluster members. Through comparison with a library of synthetic spectra, we made approximate estimates of the stars' atmospheric parameters. We find that the yPAGB star ZNG 4 has an effective temperature of Teff ~ 6500 K, a surface gravity of log g ~ 1, and a metallicity of [Fe/H] ~ -1.5, similar to that of the host cluster. The blue PAGB star ZNG 2 has Teff ~ 18000 K, log g ~ 3, and an apparently low metallicity in the range of [Fe/H] ~ -2.0 to -2.5. Both stars are bright (V=12.5 and 13.3, respectively). We urge high-dispersion spectroscopic follow-up to determine detailed atmospheric parameters and chemical compositions, and to monitor radial velocities., Comment: Submitted to Astronomical Journal

We use results of a survey for low-surface-gravity stars in Galactic (and LMC) globular clusters to show that "yellow" post-asymptotic-giant-branch (yPAGB) stars are likely to be excellent extragalactic standard candles, capable of producing distances to early-type galaxies that are accurate to a few percent. We show that the mean bolometric magnitude of the 10 known yPAGB stars in globular clusters is = -3.38 +/- 0.03, a value that is ~0.2 mag brighter than that predicted from the latest post-horizontal-branch evolutionary tracks. More importantly, we show that the observed dispersion in the distribution is only 0.10 mag, i.e., smaller than the scatter for individual Cepheids. We describe the physics that can produce such a small dispersion, and show that, if one restricts surveys to the color range 0 < (B-V)0 < 0.5, then samples of non-variable yPAGB stars can be identified quite easily with a minimum of contamination. The bright absolute V magnitudes of these stars ( = -3.37) make them, by far, the visually brightest objects in old stellar populations and ideal Population II standard candles for measurements out to ~10 Mpc with current instrumentation. A Hubble Space Telescope survey in the halos of galaxies in the M81 and Sculptor groups could therefore serve as an effective cross-check on both the Cepheid and TRGB distance scales., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

SPIRITS--the SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey--searched for luminous infrared (IR) transients and variables in nearly 200 nearby galaxies from 2014 to 2019, using the warm Spitzer telescope at 3.6 and 4.5 microns. Among the SPIRITS variables are IR-bright objects that are undetected in ground-based optical surveys. We classify them as (1) transients, (2) periodic variables, and (3) irregular variables. The transients include "SPRITE"s (eSPecially Red Intermediate-luminosity Transient Events), having maximum luminosities fainter than supernovae, red IR colors, and a wide range of outburst durations (days to years). Here we report deep optical and near-IR imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) of 21 SPIRITS variables. They were initially considered SPRITE transients, but many eventually proved instead to be periodic or irregular variables as more data were collected. HST images show most of these cool and dusty variables are associated with star-forming regions in late-type galaxies, implying an origin in massive stars. Two SPRITEs lacked optical progenitors in deep pre-outburst HST images; however, one was detected during eruption at J and H, indicating a dusty object with an effective temperature of ~1050 K. One faint SPRITE turned out to be a dusty classical nova. About half the HST targets proved to be periodic variables, with pulsation periods of 670-2160 days; they are likely dusty asymptotic-giant-branch (AGB) stars with masses of ~5-10 Msun. A few of them were warm enough to be detected in deep HST frames, but most are too cool. Out of six irregular variables, two were red supergiants with optical counterparts in HST images; four were too enshrouded for HST detection., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

We report the first unambiguous detection and mass measurement of an isolated stellar-mass black hole (BH). We used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to carry out precise astrometry of the source star of the long-duration (t_E~270 days), high-magnification microlensing event MOA-2011-BLG-191/OGLE-2011-BLG-0462 (hereafter designated as MOA-11-191/OGLE-11-462), in the direction of the Galactic bulge. HST imaging, conducted at eight epochs over an interval of six years, reveals a clear relativistic astrometric deflection of the background star's apparent position. Ground-based photometry of MOA-11-191/OGLE-11-462 shows a parallactic signature of the effect of the Earth's motion on the microlensing light curve. Combining the HST astrometry with the ground-based light curve and the derived parallax, we obtain a lens mass of 7.1 +/- 1.3 Msun and a distance of 1.58 +/- 0.18 kpc. We show that the lens emits no detectable light, which, along with having a mass higher than is possible for a white dwarf or neutron star, confirms its BH nature. Our analysis also provides an absolute proper motion for the BH. The proper motion is offset from the mean motion of Galactic-disk stars at similar distances by an amount corresponding to a transverse space velocity of ~45 km/s, suggesting that the BH received a 'natal kick' from its supernova explosion. Previous mass determinations for stellar-mass BHs have come from radial-velocity measurements of Galactic X-ray binaries, and from gravitational radiation emitted by merging BHs in binary systems in external galaxies. Our mass measurement is the first for an isolated stellar-mass BH using any technique., Comment: 37 pages, Published in ApJ

We have carried out a search for above-horizontal-branch (AHB) stars--objects lying above the horizontal branch (HB) and blueward of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) in the color-magnitude diagram--in 97 Galactic and seven Magellanic Cloud globular clusters (GCs). We selected AHB candidates based on photometry in the $uBVI$ system, which is optimized for detection of low-gravity stars with large Balmer jumps, in the color range $-0.05\le(B-V)_0\le1.0$. We then used $Gaia$ astrometry and Gaussian-mixture modeling to confirm cluster membership and remove field interlopers. Our final catalog contains 438 AHB stars, classified and interpreted in the context of post-HB evolution as follows: (1) AHB1: 280 stars fainter than $M_V=-0.8$, evolving redward from the blue HB (BHB) toward the base of the AGB. (2) Post-AGB (PAGB): 13 stars brighter than $M_V\simeq-2.75$, departing from the top of the AGB and evolving rapidly blueward. (3) AHB2: 145 stars, with absolute magnitudes between those of the AHB1 and PAGB groups. This last category includes a mixture of objects leaving the extreme BHB and evolving toward the AGB, and brighter ones moving back from the AGB toward higher temperatures. Among the AHB1 stars are 59 RR Lyrae interlopers, observed by chance in our survey near maximum light. PAGB and AHB2 stars (including W Virginis Cepheids) overwhelmingly belong to GCs containing BHB stars, in accordance with predictions of post-HB evolutionary tracks. We suggest that most W Vir variables are evolving toward lower temperatures and are in their first crossings of the instability strip. Non-variable yellow PAGB stars show promise as a Population II standard candle for distance measurement., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal. For machine-readable version of Table 3, see https://www.stsci.edu/~bond/ahb_stars_mrt.txt

Nova eruptions, thermonuclear explosions on the surfaces of white dwarfs (WDs), are now recognized to be among the most common shock-powered astrophysical transients. We present the early discovery and rapid ultraviolet (UV), optical, and infrared (IR) temporal development of AT 2019qyl, a recent nova in the nearby Sculptor Group galaxy NGC 300. The light curve shows a rapid rise lasting $\lesssim 1$ day, reaching a peak absolute magnitude of $M_V = -9.2$ mag, and a very fast decline, fading by 2 mag over 3.5 days. A steep dropoff in the light curves after 71 days and the rapid decline timescale suggest a low-mass ejection from a massive WD with $M_{\rm WD} \gtrsim 1.2~M_{\odot}$. We present an unprecedented view of the early spectroscopic evolution of such an event. Three spectra prior to the peak reveal a complex, multicomponent outflow giving rise to internal collisions and shocks in the ejecta of an He/N-class nova. We identify a coincident IR-variable counterpart in the extensive preeruption coverage of the transient location and infer the presence of a symbiotic progenitor system with an O-rich asymptotic-giant-branch donor star, as well as evidence for an earlier UV-bright outburst in 2014. We suggest that AT 2019qyl is analogous to the subset of Galactic recurrent novae with red-giant companions such as RS Oph and other embedded nova systems like V407 Cyg. Our observations provide new evidence that internal shocks between multiple, distinct outflow components likely contribute to the generation of the shock-powered emission from such systems., Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures, accepted in ApJ

In 1972, Zinn, Newell, & Gibson (ZNG) published a list of 156 candidate "UV-bright" stars they had found in 27 Galactic globular clusters (GCs), based on photographs in the U and V bands. UV-bright stars lie above the horizontal branch (HB) and blueward of the asymptotic-giant branch (AGB) and red-giant branch in the clusters' color-magnitude diagrams. They are in rapid evolutionary phases--if they are members and not unrelated bright foreground stars. The ZNG list has inspired numerous follow-up studies, aimed at understanding late stages of stellar evolution. However, the ZNG candidates were presented only in finding charts, and celestial coordinates were not given. Using my own collection of CCD frames in u and V, I have identified all of the ZNG objects, and have assembled their coordinates, parallaxes, and proper motions from the recent Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3). Based on the Gaia astrometry, I have determined which objects are probable cluster members (45% of the sample). For the members, using photometry from EDR3, I have assigned the stars to various evolutionary stages, including luminous post-AGB stars, and stars above the HB. I point out several ZNG stars of special interest that have still, to my knowledge, never been studied in detail. This study is an adjunct to a forthcoming survey of the Galactic GCs in the uBVI photometric system, designed for detection of low-gravity stars with large Balmer discontinuities., Comment: Published by Astronomical Journal, 161, 204, 2021. This version corrects an error in the entry for NGC 5904 ZNG 1

The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) is an unbiased, massively multiplexed spectroscopic survey, designed to measure the expansion history of the universe through low-resolution ($R\sim750$) spectra of Lyman-Alpha Emitters. In its search for these galaxies, HETDEX will also observe a few 10$^{5}$ stars. In this paper, we present the first stellar value-added catalog within the internal second data release of the HETDEX Survey (HDR2). The new catalog contains 120,571 low-resolution spectra for 98,736 unique stars between $10 < G < 22$ spread across the HETDEX footprint at relatively high ($b\sim60^\circ$) Galactic latitudes. With these spectra, we measure radial velocities (RVs) for $\sim$42,000 unique FGK-type stars in the catalog and show that the HETDEX spectra are sufficient to constrain these RVs with a 1$\sigma$ precision of 28.0 km/s and bias of 3.5 km/s with respect to the LAMOST surveys and 1$\sigma$ precision of 27.5 km/s and bias of 14.0 km/s compared to the SEGUE survey. Since these RVs are for faint ($G\geq16$) stars, they will be complementary to Gaia. Using t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE), we also demonstrate that the HETDEX spectra can be used to determine a star's T${\rm{eff}}$, and log g and its [Fe/H]. With the t-SNE projection of the FGK-type stars with HETDEX spectra we also identify 416 new candidate metal-poor ([Fe/H] $< -1$~dex) stars for future study. These encouraging results illustrate the utility of future low-resolution stellar spectroscopic surveys., Comment: 18 Pages, 11 Figures, 2 Tables. Accepted to ApJ

Luminous Red Novae (LRNe) are astrophysical transients associated with the partial ejection of a binary system's common envelope (CE) shortly before its merger. Here we present the results of our photometric and spectroscopic follow-up campaign of AT2018bwo (DLT18x), a LRN discovered in NGC45, and investigate its progenitor system using binary stellar-evolution models. The transient reached a peak magnitude of $M_r=-10.97\pm0.11$ and maintained this brightness during its optical plateau of $t_p = 41\pm5$days. During this phase, it showed a rather stable photospheric temperature of ~3300K and a luminosity of ~$10^{40}$erg/s. The photosphere of AT2018bwo at early times appeared larger and cooler than other similar LRNe, likely due to an extended mass-loss episode before the merger. Towards the end of the plateau, optical spectra showed a reddened continuum with strong molecular absorption bands. The reprocessed emission by the cooling dust was also detected in the mid-infrared bands ~1.5 years after the outburst. Archival Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescope data taken 10-14 years before the transient event suggest a progenitor star with $T_{prog}\sim 6500$K, $R_{prog}\sim 100R_{\odot}$ and $L_{prog}\sim 2\times10^4L_{\odot}$, and an upper limit for optically thin warm (1000 K) dust mass of $M_d<10^{-6}M_{\odot}$. Using stellar binary-evolution models, we determined the properties of binary systems consistent with the progenitor parameter space. For AT2018bwo, we infer a primary mass of 12-16 $M_{\odot}$, which is 9-45% larger than the ~11$M_{\odot}$ obtained using single-star evolution models. The system, consistent with a yellow-supergiant primary, was likely in a stable mass-transfer regime with -2.4

We report the discovery of a luminous "yellow" post-asymptotic-giant-branch (PAGB) star in the globular cluster (GC) M19 (NGC 6273), identified during our uBVI survey of Galactic GCs. The uBVI photometric system is optimized to detect stars with large Balmer discontinuities, indicating very low surface gravities and high luminosities. The spectral-energy distribution (SED) of the star is consistent with an effective temperature of about 6250 K and a surface gravity of $\log g=0.5$. We use Gaia data to show that the star's proper motion and radial velocity are consistent with cluster membership. One aim of our program is to test yellow PAGB stars as candidate Population II standard candles for determining extragalactic distances. We derive a visual absolute magnitude of $M_V=-3.39\pm0.09$ for the M19 star. This is in close agreement with the $M_V$ values found for yellow PAGB stars in the GCs omega Cen, NGC 5986, and M79, indicating a very narrow luminosity function. These objects are four magnitudes brighter than RR Lyrae variables, and they can largely avoid the issues of interstellar extinction that are a problem for Population I distance indicators. We also identified a second luminous PAGB object in M19, this one a hotter "UV-bright" star. Its SED is consistent with an effective temperature of about 11,750 K and $\log g=2.0$. The two objects have nearly identical bolometric luminosities, $\log L/L_\odot=3.24$ and 3.22, respectively., Comment: Accepted by Astronomical Journal

The planetary nebula (PN) called the Stingray (PN G331.3$-$12.1) suddenly turned on in the 1980s, and its central star (V839 Ara) started a fast evolution with large amplitudes in magnitude, surface temperature, and surface gravity, perhaps as part of a late thermal pulse causing a loop in the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram. With these fast changes, we have taken images with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2016. We do not see the massive high-velocity mass loss of the 1980s, either close in to the central star, or as clumps or changes in the nebula far from the star, or as localized or general increases in the emission-line flux caused by the shocks of the outflowing ejecta ramming into the slow-moving PN shell. We think that the lack of seeing the outgoing material is because the relatively modest total mass had already suffused the PN before the first resolved imaging in 1992, and it was the shocks from this impact that initially ionized the Stingray starting in the 1980s. We also quantify the complex fast fading of the Stingray, with each emission line and each structure having different fade rates, with half-lives ranging from 3 to 29 years. In a century or two, the PN will fade to invisibility. With this complex fading of different structures, it is impossible to derive any expansion rate for the PN. The central star had its brightness roughly constant from 1996 to 2016, but with substantial erratic variability from 15.50 to 14.18 mag in the $V$ band., Comment: MNRAS submitted, 18 pages, 6 figures

We present Spitzer/IRAC observations of dust formation from six extragalactic carbon-rich Wolf-Rayet (WC) binary candidates in low-metallicity (Z $\lesssim0.65$ Z$_\odot$) environments using multi-epoch mid-infrared (IR) imaging data from the SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS). Optical follow-up spectroscopy of SPIRITS~16ln, 19q, 16df, 18hb, and 14apu reveals emission features from C IV $\lambda5801\text{-}12$~and/or the C III-IV $\lambda4650$ He II $\lambda4686$~blend that are consistent with early-type WC stars. We identify SPIRITS~16ln as the variable mid-IR counterpart of the recently discovered colliding-wind WC4+O binary candidate, N604-WRXc, located in the sub-solar metallicity NGC 604 H II~region in M33. We interpret the mid-IR variability from SPIRITS~16ln as a dust-formation episode in an eccentric colliding-wind WC binary. SPIRITS~19q, 16df, 14apu, and 18hb exhibit absolute [3.6] magnitudes exceeding one of most IR-luminous dust-forming WC systems known, WR~104 (M$_\mathrm{[3.6]}\lesssim-12.3$). An analysis of dust formation in the mid-IR outburst from SPIRITS~19q reveals a high dust production rate of $\dot{M}_d\gtrsim2\times10^{-6}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, which may therefore exceed that of the most efficient dust-forming WC systems known. We demonstrate that efficient dust-formation is feasible from early-type WC binaries in the theoretical framework of colliding-wind binary dust formation if the systems host an O-type companion with a high mass-loss rate ($\dot{M}\gtrsim1.6\times10^{-6}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$). This efficient dust-formation from early-type WC binaries highlights their potential role as significant sources of dust in low-metallicity environments., Comment: 28 pages, 10 Figures, and 5 Tables. Accepted to ApJ on 2021 Jan 4 (Replacement of version submitted to arXiv on 2020 Nov 19)

Cepheids in multiple systems provide information on the outcome of the formation of massive stars. They can also lead to exotic end-stage objects. This study concludes our survey of 70 galactic Cepheids using the {\it Hubble Space Telescope\} (\HST) Wide Field Camera~3 (WFC3) with images at two wavelengths to identify companions closer than $5\arcsec$. In the entire WFC3 survey we identify 16 probable companions for 13 Cepheids. The seven Cepheids having resolved candidate companions within $2"$ all have the surprising property of themselves being spectroscopic binaries (as compared with a 29\% incidence of spectroscopic binaries in the general Cepheid population). That is a strong suggestion that an inner binary is linked to the scenario of a third companion within a few hundred~AU\null. This characteristic is continued for more widely separated companions. Under a model where the outer companion is formed first, it is unlikely that it can anticipate a subsequent inner binary. Rather it is more likely that a triple system has undergone dynamical interaction, resulting in one star moving outward to its current location. {\it Chandra\} and {\it Gaia\} data as well as radial velocities and \HSTSTIS and {\it IUE\} spectra are used to derive properties of the components of the Cepheid systems. The colors of the companion candidates show a change in distribution at approximately 2000~AU separations, from a range including both hot and cool colors for closer companions, to only low-mass companions for wider separations., Comment: Accepted by ApJ

I report the discovery that the 9th-magnitude Galactic-halo star BD+14$^\circ$3061 is a member of the rare class of luminous metal-poor "yellow post-AGB" stars. Its Gaia DR2 parallax implies an absolute magnitude of $M_V=-3.44\pm0.27$, and it is a very high-velocity star moving in a retrograde Galactic orbit. BD+14$^\circ$3061 is a field analog of the half-dozen yellow PAGB stars known in Galactic globular clusters, which have closely similar absolute magnitudes. These objects are the visually brightest members of old stellar populations; their apparently narrow luminosity function makes them potentially useful as Population II standard candles. The spectral-energy distribution of BD+14$^\circ$3061 out to $22\,\mu$m shows no evidence for circumstellar dust. The star is a low-amplitude semi-regular pulsating variable, with typical periods of 30-32 days. A radial-velocity study suggests that it is a spectroscopic binary with a period of 429.6 days, making it similar to known binary yellow PAGB stars such as HD 46703 and BD+39$^\circ$4926., Comment: Accepted by Astronomical Journal

$\mu$ Cassiopeiae is a nearby, high-velocity, metal-poor ($\rm[Fe/H]=-0.81$) visual binary. We have used high-resolution imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), obtained over nearly two decades, to determine the period (21.568 yr) and precise orbital elements. Combining these with published ground- and space-based astrometry, we determined dynamical masses for both components of $\mu$ Cas: $0.7440\pm0.0122\,M_\odot$ for the G5 V primary, and $0.1728\pm0.0035\,M_\odot$ for its faint dM companion. We detect no significant perturbations in the HST astrometry due to a third body in the system. The primary aim of our program was to determine, with the aid of stellar models, the helium content and age of the metal-deficient primary star, $\mu$ Cas A. Although we now have a precise mass, there remain uncertainties about other parameters, including its effective temperature. Moreover, a re-examination of archival interferometric observations leads to a suspicion that the angular diameter was overestimated by a few percent. In the absolute magnitude versus color plane, $\mu$ Cas A lies slightly cooler and more luminous than the main sequence of the globular cluster 47 Tucanae; this may imply that the star has a lower helium content, and/or is older, and/or has a higher metallicity, than the cluster. Our best estimates for the helium content and age of $\mu$ Cas A are $Y=0.255\pm0.014$ and $12.7\pm2.7$ Gyr--making $\mu$ Cas possibly the oldest star in the sky visible to the naked eye. Improved measurements of the absolute parallax of the system, the effective temperature of $\mu$ Cas A, and its angular diameter would provide tighter constraints., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

Four planetary nebulae (PNe) are considered to be probable or possible members of Galactic globular clusters (GCs). These are Ps 1 = K648 in M15, GJJC 1 = IRAS 18333-2357 in M22, JaFu 1 in Palomar 6, and JaFu 2 in NGC 6441. In addition to lying close to the host GCs on the sky, these PNe have radial velocities that are consistent, within the errors and stellar velocity dispersions, with cluster membership. The remaining membership criterion is whether the proper motions (PMs) of the central stars are in agreement with those of the host clusters. We have carried out the PM test for all four PNe. Two of the central stars--those of Ps 1 and GJJC 1--have PMs listed in the recent Gaia Data Release 2 (DR2). We updated the PM of the Ps 1 central star to a more precise value using archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) frames. Both PMs are statistically consistent with cluster membership. For the other two PNe, we used archival HST images to derive the PMs of their nuclei. For JaFu 2, there are HST images at several epochs, and the measured PM of the nucleus is in excellent agreement with that of the host cluster. For JaFu 1 the available archival HST images are less optimal and the results are less conclusive; the measured PM for the central star is marginally consistent with cluster membership, but additional astrometric observations are desirable for a more robust membership test., Comment: Revised version, accepted by Astronomical Journal

We report the serendipitous discovery of an object, UVQS J060819.93-715737.4, with a spectrum dominated by extremely intense, narrow C II emission lines. The spectrum is similar to those of the very rare, late-type [WC11] low-mass Wolf-Rayet stars. Despite the recognition of these stars as a distinct class decades ago, there remains barely a handful of Galactic members, all of which are also planetary-nebula central stars. Although no obvious surrounding nebulosity is present in J0608, [O II], [N II], and [S II] emission suggest the presence of an inconspicuous, low-excitation nebula. There is low-amplitude incoherent photometric variability on timescales of days to years, as well as numerous prominent P Cygni profiles, implying mass loss. There are indications of a binary companion. The star is located on the outskirts of the LMC, and the observed radial velocity (~250 km/s) and proper motion strongly suggest membership. If indeed an LMC member, this is the first extragalactic late [WC] star, and the first with an accurately determined luminosity, as the Galactic examples are too distant for precise parallax determinations. A high-quality, broad-coverage spectrum of the prototype of the late [WC] class, CPD -56 8032, is also presented. We discuss different excitation mechanisms capable of producing the great strength of the C II emission. Numerous autoionizing levels of C II are definitely populated by processes other than dielectronic recombination. Despite the spectacular emission spectra, observational selection makes objects such as these difficult to discover. Members of the [WC11] class may in fact be considerably more common than the handful of previously known late [WC] stars., Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

Carbon-deficient red giants (CDRGs) are a rare class of peculiar red giants, also called "weak G-band" or "weak-CH" stars. Their atmospheric compositions show depleted carbon, a low 12C/13C isotopic ratio, and an overabundance of nitrogen, indicating that the material at the surface has undergone CN-cycle hydrogen-burning. I present Stromgren uvby photometry of nearly all known CDRGs. Barium stars, having an enhanced carbon abundance, exhibit the "Bond-Neff effect"--a broad depression in their energy distributions at ~4000 A, recently confirmed to be due to the CH molecule. This gives Ba II stars unusually low Stromgren c1 photometric indices. I show that CDRGs, lacking CH absorption, exhibit an "anti-Bond-Neff effect": higher c1 indices than normal red giants. Using precise parallaxes from Gaia DR2, I plot CDRGs in the color-magnitude diagram (CMD) and compare them with theoretical evolution tracks. Most CDRGs lie in a fairly tight clump in the CMD, indicating initial masses in the range ~2 to 3.5 Msun, if they have evolved as single stars. It is unclear whether they are stars that have just reached the base of the red-giant branch and the first dredge-up of CN-processed material, or are more highly evolved helium-burning stars in the red-giant clump. About 10% of CDRGs have higher masses of ~4 to 4.5 Msun, and exhibit unusually high rotational velocities. I show that CDRGs lie at systematically larger distances from the Galactic plane than normal giants, possibly indicating a role of binary mass-transfer and mergers. CDRGs continue to present a major puzzle for our understanding of stellar evolution., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

We use imaging and spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to examine the properties of a bright planetary nebula (PN) projected within M31's young open cluster B477-D075. We show that the probability of a chance superposition of the PN on the cluster is small, ${\lesssim}2\%$. Moreover, the radial velocity of the PN is the same as that of the cluster within the measurement error of ${\sim}10$ km s$^{-1}$. Given the expected ${\sim}70$ km s$^{-1}$ velocity dispersion in this region, ${\sim}$8 kpc from M31's nucleus, the velocity data again make it extremely likely that the PN belongs to the cluster. Applying isochrone fitting to archival color-magnitude photometric data from the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys, we determine the cluster age and metallicity to be 290 Myr and $Z = 0.0071$, respectively, implying an initial mass of $3.38^{+0.03}_{-0.02} \, M_{\odot}$ for any PN produced by the cluster. From HST's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations and Cloudy photoionization modeling, we find that the PN is likely a Type I planetary, with a nitrogen abundance that is enhanced by ${\sim}$5-6 times over the solar value scaled to the cluster metallicity. If the PN is indeed a cluster member, these data present strong empirical evidence that hot-bottom burning occurs in AGB stars with initial masses as low as $3.4 \, M_{\odot}$., Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables

We present the discovery of an optical transient (OT) in Messier 51, designated M51 OT2019-1 (also ZTF19aadyppr, AT 2019abn, ATLAS19bzl), by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). The OT rose over 15 days to an observed luminosity of $M_r=-13$ (${\nu}L_{\nu}=9\times10^6~L_{\odot}$), in the luminosity gap between novae and typical supernovae (SNe). Spectra during the outburst show a red continuum, Balmer emission with a velocity width of $\approx400$ km s$^{-1}$, Ca II and [Ca II] emission, and absorption features characteristic of an F-type supergiant. The spectra and multiband light curves are similar to the so-called "SN impostors" and intermediate-luminosity red transients (ILRTs). We directly identify the likely progenitor in archival Spitzer Space Telescope imaging with a $4.5~\mu$m luminosity of $M_{[4.5]}\approx-12.2$ and a $[3.6]-[4.5]$ color redder than 0.74 mag, similar to those of the prototype ILRTs SN 2008S and NGC 300 OT2008-1. Intensive monitoring of M51 with Spitzer further reveals evidence for variability of the progenitor candidate at [4.5] in the years before the OT. The progenitor is not detected in pre-outburst Hubble Space Telescope optical and near-IR images. The optical colors during outburst combined with spectroscopic temperature constraints imply a higher reddening of $E(B-V)\approx0.7$ mag and higher intrinsic luminosity of $M_r\approx-14.9$ (${\nu}L_{\nu}=5.3\times10^7~L_{\odot}$) near peak than seen in previous ILRT candidates. Moreover, the extinction estimate is higher on the rise than on the plateau, suggestive of an extended phase of circumstellar dust destruction. These results, enabled by the early discovery of M51 OT2019-1 and extensive pre-outburst archival coverage, offer new clues about the debated origins of ILRTs and may challenge the hypothesis that they arise from the electron-capture induced collapse of extreme asymptotic giant branch stars., Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, published in ApJL

We present a systematic study of the most luminous ($M_{\mathrm{IR}}$ [Vega magnitudes] brighter than $-14$) infrared (IR) transients discovered by the SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS) between 2014 and 2018 in nearby galaxies ($D < 35$ Mpc). The sample consists of nine events that span peak IR luminosities of $M_{[4.5],\mathrm{peak}}$ between $-14$ and $-18.2$, show IR colors between $0.2 < ([3.6]{-}[4.5]) < 3.0$, and fade on timescales between $55$ days $< t_{\mathrm{fade}} < 480$ days. The two reddest events ($A_V > 12$) show multiple, luminous IR outbursts over several years and have directly detected, massive progenitors in archival imaging. With analyses of extensive, multiwavelength follow-up, we suggest the following possible classifications: five obscured core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), two erupting massive stars, one luminous red nova, and one intermediate-luminosity red transient. We define a control sample of all optically discovered transients recovered in SPIRITS galaxies and satisfying the same selection criteria. The control sample consists of eight CCSNe and one Type Iax SN. We find that 7 of the 13 CCSNe in the SPIRITS sample have lower bounds on their extinction of $2 < A_V < 8$. We estimate a nominal fraction of CCSNe in nearby galaxies that are missed by optical surveys as high as $38.5^{+26.0}_{-21.9}$% (90% confidence). This study suggests that a significant fraction of CCSNe may be heavily obscured by dust and therefore undercounted in the census of nearby CCSNe from optical searches., Comment: 47 pages, 16 figures, published in ApJ

Einstein's theory of General Relativity predicts that the light from stars will be gravitationally shifted to longer wavelengths. We previously used this effect to measure the mass of the white dwarf Sirius B from the wavelength shift observed in its H-alpha line based on spectroscopic data from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), but found that the results did not agree with the dynamical mass determined from the visual-binary orbit. We have devised a new observing strategy using STIS where the shift is measured relative to the H-alpha line of Sirius A rather than comparing it to a laboratory based rest wavelength. Sirius A was observed during the same orbit with HST. This strategy circumvents the systematic uncertainties which have affected previous attempts to measure Sirius B. We measure a gravitational redshift of 80.65 +/- 0.77 km/s. From the measured gravitational redshift and the known radius, we find a mass of 1.017 +/- 0.025 Msol which is in agreement with the dynamical mass and the predictions of a C/O white dwarf mass-radius relation with a precision of 2.5 per cent., Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Abell 70 is a planetary nebula (PN) whose nucleus at optical wavelengths is a G8 star with enhanced carbon and s-process abundances--a "barium star." The cool star is a binary companion of the true, hot central star. In several other members of this rare class, the cool star is known to rotate with a period of only a few days. This is attributed to a spin-up that occurred due to accretion from the wind of the central star during its post-AGB PN ejection; this also accounts for the unusual chemical composition of the companion's photosphere. We obtained photometry of the central star of Abell 70 on 104 nights in 2010-11, and find a periodic 2.061-day variation, but with a variable amplitude--indicating that the variability is due to starspots on a chromospherically active star. Abell 70 thus joins other members of this class in having a rapidly rotating and chemically peculiar late-type companion of the hot central star., Comment: Accepted by Research Notes of the AAS. Published version will be slightly shorter due to word-count limitations

As part of a program to determine dynamical masses of Cepheids, we have imaged the nearest and brightest Cepheid, Polaris, with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and Wide Field Camera 3. Observations were obtained at three epochs between 2007 and 2014. In these images, as in HST frames obtained in 2005 and 2006, which we discussed in a 2008 paper, we resolve the close companion Polaris Ab from the Cepheid Polaris Aa. Because of the small separation and large magnitude difference between Polaris Aa and Ab, we used PSF deconvolution techniques to carry out astrometry of the binary. Based on these new measurements, we have updated the elements for the 29.59 yr orbit. Adopting the distance to the system from the recent Gaia Data Release 2, we find a dynamical mass for the Cepheid of 3.45 +/- 0.75 Msun, although this is preliminary, and will be improved by CHARA measurements covering periastron. As is the case for the recently determined dynamical mass for the Cepheid V1334 Cyg, the mass of Polaris is significantly lower than the "evolutionary mass" predicted by fitting to evolutionary tracks in the HR diagram. We discuss several questions and implications raised by these measurements, including the pulsation mode, which instability-strip crossing the stars are in, and possible complications such as rotation, mass loss, and binary mergers. The distant third star in the system, Polaris B, appears to be older than the Cepheid, based on isochrone fitting. This may indicate that the Cepheid Polaris is relatively old and is the result of a binary merger, rather than being a young single star., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

V4332 Sgr is a red optical transient that erupted in 1994. It is generally considered to have been due to a stellar merger similar to V838 Mon and V1309 Sco. I obtained optical images of the site with HST in 2014. The images resolve the dusty ejecta, with dimensions of about 0.53 x 0.42 arcsec; these are approximately consistent with expectation if the ejecta were launched in 1994. The size and morphology of the optical nebula are similar to those seen in recent ALMA and SMA maps of CO emission. The Gaia DR2 parallax of V4332 Sgr has a large uncertainty. However, I point out a 12th-mag star 10 arcsec south of V4332 Sgr that has a DR2 proper motion and radial velocity similar to those of the transient; its distance is 1.63 kpc. If V4332 Sgr is a physical companion of this star, its absolute visual magnitude at maximum was only -3.6., Comment: Accepted for Research Notes of the AAS. The arXiv posting is an edited version of the original submission. The version to be published in RNAAS was shortened due to word-count limitations

V341 Arae is a 10th-magnitude variable star in the southern hemisphere, discovered over a century ago by Henrietta Leavitt but relatively little studied since then. Although historically considered to be a Cepheid, it is actually blue and coincides with an X-ray source. The star lies near the edge of the large, faint Halpha nebula Fr 2-11, discovered by D. Frew, who showed that V341 Ara is actually a cataclysmic variable (CV). His deep imaging of the nebula revealed a bow-shock morphology in the immediate vicinity of the star. We have carried out spectroscopic monitoring of V341 Ara, and we confirm that it is a nova-like CV, with an orbital period of 0.15216 days (3.652 hr). We show that V341 Ara is remarkably similar to the previously known BZ Cam, a nova-like CV with a nearly identical orbital period, associated with the bow-shock nebula EGB 4. Archival sky-survey photometry shows that V341 Ara normally varies between V ~ 10.5 and 11, with a characteristic timescale ranging from about 10 to 16 days. V341 Ara lies well off-center within Fr 2-11. We speculate either that the star is undergoing a chance high-speed encounter with a small interstellar cloud, or that the nebula was ejected from the star itself in a nova outburst in the fairly distant past. At a distance of only 156 pc, V341 Ara is one of the nearest and brightest known nova-like variables, and we encourage further studies., Comment: Submitted to Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

We present the discovery by the SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey (SPIRITS) of a likely supernova (SN) in NGC 3556 at only 8.8 Mpc, which, despite its proximity, was not detected by optical searches. A luminous infrared (IR) transient at $M_{[4.5]} = -16.7$ mag (Vega), SPIRITS 16tn is coincident with a dust lane in the inclined, star-forming disk of the host. Using IR, optical, and radio observations, we attempt to determine the nature of this event. We estimate $A_V \approx$ 8 - 9 mag of extinction, placing it among the three most highly obscured IR-discovered SNe to date. The [4.5] light curve declined at a rate of 0.013 mag day$^{-1}$, and the $[3.6] - [4.5]$ color grew redder from 0.7 to $\gtrsim$ 1.0 mag by 184.7 days post discovery. Optical/IR spectroscopy shows a red continuum, but no clearly discernible features, preventing a definitive spectroscopic classification. Deep radio observations constrain the radio luminosity of SPIRITS 16tn to $L_{\nu} \lesssim 10^{24}$ erg s$^{-1}$ Hz$^{-1}$ between 3 - 15 GHz, excluding many varieties of radio core-collapse SNe. A type Ia SN is ruled out by the observed red IR color, and lack of features normally attributed to Fe-peak elements in the optical and IR spectra. SPIRITS 16tn was fainter at [4.5] than typical stripped-envelope SNe by $\approx$ 1 mag. Comparison of the spectral energy distribution to SNe II suggests SPIRITS 16tn was both highly obscured, and intrinsically dim, possibly akin to the low-luminosity SN 2005cs. We infer the presence of an IR dust echo powered by a peak luminosity of the transient of $5 \times 10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1} < L_{\mathrm{peak}} < 4\times10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$, consistent with the observed range for SNe II. This discovery illustrates the power of IR surveys to overcome the compounding effects of visible extinction and optically sub-luminous events in completing the inventory of nearby SNe., Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures, submitted to ApJ

Polaris, the nearest and brightest Cepheid, is a potential anchor point for the Leavitt period-luminosity relation. However, its distance is a matter of contention, with recent advocacy for a parallax of ~10 mas, in contrast with the Hipparcos measurement of 7.54+/-0.11 mas. We report an independent trigonometric parallax determination, using the Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) on the Hubble Space Telescope. Polaris itself is too bright for FGS, so we measured its 8th-magnitude companion Polaris B, relative to a network of background reference stars. We converted the FGS relative parallax to absolute, using estimated distances to the reference stars from ground-based photometry and spectral classification. Our result, 6.26+/-0.24 mas, is even smaller than found by Hipparcos. We note other objects for which Hipparcos appears to have overestimated parallaxes, including the well-established case of the Pleiades. We consider possible sources of systematic error in the FGS parallax, but find no evidence they are significant. If our "long" distance is correct, the high luminosity of Polaris indicates that it is pulsating in the second overtone of its fundamental mode. Our results raise several puzzles, including a long pulsation period for Polaris compared to second-overtone pulsators in the Magellanic Clouds, and a conflict between the isochrone age of Polaris B (~2.1 Gyr) and the much younger age of Polaris A. We discuss possibilities that B is not a physical companion of A, in spite of the strong evidence that it is, or that one of the stars is a merger remnant. These issues may be resolved when Gaia provides parallaxes for both stars., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

The bright, nearby DA-type white dwarf (WD) 40 Eridani B is orbited by the M dwarf 40 Eri C, allowing determination of the WD's mass. Until recently, however, the mass depended on orbital elements determined four decades ago, and that mass was so low that it created several astrophysical puzzles. Using new astrometric measurements, the binary-star group at the U.S. Naval Observatory has revised the dynamical mass upward, to $0.573\pm0.018\,M_\odot$. In this paper we use model-atmosphere analysis to update other parameters of the WD, including effective temperature, surface gravity, radius, and luminosity. We then compare these results with WD interior models. Within the observational uncertainties, theoretical cooling tracks for CO-core WDs of its measured mass are consistent with the position of 40 Eri B in the H-R diagram; equivalently, the theoretical mass-radius relation (MRR) is consistent with the star's location in the mass-radius plane. This consistency is, however, achieved only if we assume a "thin" outer hydrogen layer, with $q_{\rm H}=M_{\rm H}/M_{\rm WD}\simeq10^{-10}$. We discuss other evidence that a significant fraction of DA WDs have such thin H layers, in spite of expectation from canonical stellar-evolution theory of "thick" H layers with $q_{\rm H}\simeq10^{-4}$. The cooling age of 40 Eri B is $\sim$122 Myr, and its total age is $\sim$1.8 Gyr. We present the MRRs for 40 Eri B and three other nearby WDs in visual binaries with precise mass determinations, and show that the agreement of current theory with observation is excellent in all cases., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

Gravitational deflection of starlight around the Sun during the 1919 total solar eclipse provided measurements that confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the analogous process of astrometric microlensing caused by a nearby star, the white dwarf Stein 2051 B. As Stein 2051 B passed closely in front of a background star, the background star's position was deflected. Measurement of this deflection at multiple epochs allowed us to determine the mass of Stein 2051 B -- the sixth nearest white dwarf to the Sun -- as 0.675 +/- 0.051 solar masses. This mass determination provides confirmation of the physics of degenerate matter and lends support to white dwarf evolutionary theory., Comment: Main Article (15 pages, 5 Figures), plus Supplementary Material (19 pages, 10 figures)

Sirius, the seventh-nearest stellar system, is a visual binary containing the metallic-line A1 V star Sirius A, brightest star in the sky, orbited in a 50.13-year period by Sirius B, the brightest and nearest white dwarf (WD). Using images obtained over nearly two decades with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), along with photographic observations covering almost 20 years, and nearly 2300 historical measurements dating back to the 19th century, we determine precise orbital elements for the visual binary. Combined with the parallax and the motion of the A component, these elements yield dynamical masses of 2.063+/-0.023 Msun and 1.018+/-0.011 Msun for Sirius A and B, respectively. Our precise HST astrometry rules out third bodies orbiting either star in the system, down to masses of ~15-25 Mjup. The location of Sirius B in the H-R diagram is in excellent agreement with theoretical cooling tracks for WDs of its dynamical mass, and implies a cooling age of ~126 Myr. The position of Sirius B in the mass-radius plane is also consistent with WD theory, assuming a carbon-oxygen core. Including the pre-WD evolutionary timescale of the assumed progenitor, the total age of Sirius B is about 228+/-10 Myr. We calculated evolutionary tracks for stars with the dynamical mass of Sirius A, using two independent codes. We find it necessary to assume a slightly sub-solar metallicity, of about 0.85 Zsun, to fit its location in the luminosity-radius plane. The age of Sirius A based on these models is about 237-247 Myr, with uncertainties of +/-15 Myr, consistent with that of the WD companion. We discuss astrophysical puzzles presented by the Sirius system, including the probability that the two stars must have interacted in the past, even though there is no direct evidence for this, and the orbital eccentricity remains high., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

Through an innovative combination of multiple observing techniques and mod- eling, we are assembling a comprehensive understanding of the pulsation and close environment of Cepheids. We developed the SPIPS modeling tool that combines all observables (radial velocimetry, photometry, angular diameters from interferometry) to derive the relevant physical parameters of the star (effective temperature, infrared ex- cess, reddening,...) and the ratio of the distance and the projection factor d/p. We present the application of SPIPS to the long-period Cepheid RS Pup, for which we derive p = 1.25 +/- 0.06. The addition of this massive Cepheid consolidates the existing sample of p-factor measurements towards long-period pulsators. This allows us to conclude that p is constant or mildly variable around p = 1.29 +/- 0.04 (+/-3%) as a function of the pulsation period. The forthcoming Gaia DR2 will provide a considerable improvement in quantity and accuracy of the trigonometric parallaxes of Cepheids. From this sample, the SPIPS modeling tool will enable a robust calibration of the Cepheid distance scale., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the 22nd Los Alamos Stellar Pulsation Conference "Wide-field variability surveys: a 21st-century perspective" held in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2016

The projection factor (p-factor) is an essential component of the classical Baade-Wesselink (BW) technique, that is commonly used to determine the distances to pulsating stars. It is a multiplicative parameter used to convert radial velocities into pulsational velocities. As the BW distances are linearly proportional to the p-factor, its accurate calibration for Cepheids is of critical importance for the reliability of their distance scale. We focus on the observational determination of the p-factor of the long-period Cepheid RS Pup (P = 41.5 days). This star is particularly important as this is one of the brightest Cepheids in the Galaxy and an analog of the Cepheids used to determine extragalactic distances. An accurate distance of 1910 +/- 80 pc (+/- 4.2%) has recently been determined for RS Pup using the light echoes propagating in its circumstellar nebula. We combine this distance with new VLTI/PIONIER interferometric angular diameters, photometry and radial velocities to derive the p-factor of RS Pup using the code Spectro-Photo-Interferometry of Pulsating Stars (SPIPS). We obtain p = 1.250 +/- 0.064 (+/-5.1%), defined for cross-correlation radial velocities. Together with measurements from the literature, the p-factor of RS Pup confirms the good agreement of a constant p = 1.293 +/- 0.039 (+/-3.0%) model with the observations. We conclude that the p-factor of Cepheids is constant or mildly variable over a broad range of periods (3.7 to 41.5 days)., Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press

The globular cluster (GC) system of our Galaxy contains four planetary nebulae (PNe): K 648 (or Ps 1) in M15, IRAS 18333-2357 in M22, JaFu 1 in Pal 6, and JaFu 2 in NGC 6441. Because single-star evolution at the low stellar mass of present-epoch GCs was considered incapable of producing visible PNe, their origin presented a puzzle. We imaged the PN JaFu 1 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to obtain photometry of its central star (CS) and high-resolution morphological information. We imaged IRAS 18333-2357 with better depth and resolution, and we analyzed its archival HST spectra to constrain its CS temperature and luminosity. All PNe in Galactic GCs now have high-quality HST data, allowing us to improve CS mass estimates. We find reasonably consistent masses between 0.53 and 0.58 Msun for all four objects, though estimates vary when adopting different stellar evolutionary calculations. The CS mass of IRAS 18333-2357, though, depends strongly on its temperature, which remains elusive due to reddening uncertainties. For all four objects, we consider their CS and nebular masses, their morphologies, and other incongruities to assess the likelihood that these objects formed from binary stars. Although generally limited by uncertainties (~0.02 Msun) in post-AGB tracks and core mass vs. luminosity relations, the high-mass CS in K 648 indicates a binary origin. The CS of JaFu 1 exhibits compact bright [O III] and Halpha emission, like EGB 6, suggesting a binary companion or disk. Evidence is weaker for a binary origin of JaFu 2., Comment: Accepted by Astrophysical Journal

We present an ongoing, systematic search for extragalactic infrared transients, dubbed SPIRITS --- SPitzer InfraRed Intensive Transients Survey. In the first year, using Spitzer/IRAC, we searched 190 nearby galaxies with cadence baselines of one month and six months. We discovered over 1958 variables and 43 transients. Here, we describe the survey design and highlight 14 unusual infrared transients with no optical counterparts to deep limits, which we refer to as SPRITEs (eSPecially Red Intermediate Luminosity Transient Events). SPRITEs are in the infrared luminosity gap between novae and supernovae, with [4.5] absolute magnitudes between -11 and -14 (Vega-mag) and [3.6]-[4.5] colors between 0.3 mag and 1.6 mag. The photometric evolution of SPRITEs is diverse, ranging from < 0.1 mag/yr to > 7 mag/yr. SPRITEs occur in star-forming galaxies. We present an in-depth study of one of them, SPIRITS 14ajc in Messier 83, which shows shock-excited molecular hydrogen emission. This shock may have been triggered by the dynamic decay of a non-hierarchical system of massive stars that led to either the formation of a binary or a proto-stellar merger.