Discovery of a New Dusty B[e] Star in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present new optical spectroscopic and archival Spitzer IRAC photometric observations of a B-type star in the SMC cluster NGC 346, NGC 346:KWBBe 200. We detect numerous Fe II, [O I], and [Fe II] lines, as well as strong P Cygni profile H I emission lines in its optical spectrum. The star's ne...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Astrophysical journal 2007-12, Vol.670 (2), p.1331-1336
Main Authors: Wisniewski, John P, Bjorkman, Karen S, Bjorkman, Jon E, Clampin, Mark
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astronomy
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
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Summary:We present new optical spectroscopic and archival Spitzer IRAC photometric observations of a B-type star in the SMC cluster NGC 346, NGC 346:KWBBe 200. We detect numerous Fe II, [O I], and [Fe II] lines, as well as strong P Cygni profile H I emission lines in its optical spectrum. The star's near-IR color and optical to IR spectral energy distribution clearly indicate the presence of an infrared excess, consistent with the presence of gas and warm, T similar to 800 K, circumstellar dust. Based on a crude estimate of the star's luminosity and the observed spectroscopic line profile morphologies, we find that the star is likely to be a B-type supergiant. We suggest that NGC 346:KWBBe 200 is a newly discovered B[e] supergiant star, and represents the fifth such object to be identified in the SMC.
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/522330