Open AccessDust structure around the Wolf–Rayet star WR104 from lunar occultation observations at 2.2 μm
Author(s) -
Mondal Soumen,
Chandrasekhar T.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05497.x
Subject(s) - physics , wolf–rayet star , occultation , astronomy , astrophysics , eclipse , star (game theory) , astrobiology , stars
A rare opportunity of observing a lunar occultation of a Wolf–Rayet star (WR104) in the near‐infrared K band (2.2 μm) was utilized to probe the thick dust envelope surrounding the star at a high one‐dimensional angular resolution (∼2 mas). Analysis of the occultation light curve shows a dust structure departing significantly from the uniform disc profile. Our results are in good agreement with recent aperture‐masking interferometry carried out at the Keck I telescope, which shows a pinwheel structure around WR104. We report additional fine structures in the dust envelope.