2011AJ....142..135A

We present optical and near-IR observations of the young eruptive variable star V1647 Orionis which illuminates McNeil's Nebula. In late 2003, V1647 Ori was observed to brighten by around 5 mag to r' = 17.7. In early 2006 the star faded back to its quiescent brightness of r' ∼ 23, however in mid-2008 it brightened yet again by ∼5 mag. Our new observations, taken in early 2011, show V1647 Ori to be in an elevated photometric state with an optical brightness similar to the value found at the start of the 2003 and 2008 outbursts. Optical images taken between 2008 and 2011 suggest that the star has remained in outburst from mid-2008 to the present. Hα and the far-red Ca II triplet lines remain in emission with Hα possessing a significant P Cygni profile. A self-consistent study of the accretion luminosity and rate using data taken in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2011 indicates that when bright, V1647 Ori has values of 16±2 L_☉ and (4±2)x10^–6 M_☉/yr, respectively. We support the premise that the accretion luminosity and rate both declined by a factor of 2-3 during the 5 mag fading in 2007. However, a significant part of the fading was due to either variable extinction or dust reformation. We discuss these new observations in relation to previous published data and the classification schemes for young eruptive variables.