2025/03/25 by M. Kourniotis, Kourniotis, Michalis, M. Kraus +5 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #FOS: Physical sciences #Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR) #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2503.19961
openalex publication_date 2025/03/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In this Letter, we shed light on the evolutionary phase of HD 144812, a Galactic yellow supergiant showing infrared excess that is typically expected for evolved stars undergoing enhanced mass-loss activity. We present high-resolution spectroscopy of the star in the H- and K-band acquired with the GRating INfrared Spectrometer (IGRINS) and further explore multi-band imaging of the wider field of view from the ultraviolet to the radio regime. The IGRINS data reveal several lines from the hydrogen series and iron in a double-peaked emission and we here suggest, that HD 144812 is orbited by a disk-hosting companion. Furthermore, we report emission in the CO band heads of the star that is modeled to arise from a circum-stellar/binary disk (or ring) of ejected gas. The latter consists of material that is expected to have been dredged up from the core of the star to its surface during a prior phase as a red supergiant (RSG). These findings together suggest that HD 144812 is a rare, post-RSG star in a binary system, encouraging further investigation on the effect that the stellar encounters have on triggering instabilities and driving the evolution of the primary star shortly prior to the supernova event.