2005A&A...437L...1U

In this letter we report on the first set of multi-frequency and high angular resolution radio observations of IRAS 18576+0341. The radio observations have revealed an extended, asymmetric and quite structured radio nebula and allowed us to locate the central core of this highly obscured new galactic Luminous Blue Variable. From the analysis of radio properties of IRAS 18576+0341 estimates of important physical parameters of the central star have been determined. In particular, an effective temperature of T_eff~(2.6±0.2)x10⁴K, corresponding to a B0-B0.5 supergiant, has been derived. The most notable result is the determination of the current day mass-loss ({dot}(M)=3.7x10^–5M_☉/yr), which is of particular importance since mass-loss rate determination from radio observations appears to be a more reliable method compared to the others based on different diagnostics.