2025MNRAS.542.3097B

Symbiotic stars are considered astrophysical laboratories owing to their complex physical and chemical properties. Despite theoretical predictions suggesting the existence of at least 1200 such systems in the Galaxy, only 284 have been identified to date, highlighting a significant discrepancy and suggesting an incomplete observational census. To solve this issue and expand the known population, we employed a data-mining and cross-matching approach using the Isaac Newton Telescope Wide Field Camera Galactic Plane Survey (IGAPS) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) data, applying selection criteria in both the optical and infrared bands. This method led to the identification of 217 new symbiotic star candidates. To corroborate the nature of a sample of these candidates, we conducted optical spectroscopic follow-up observations. As a result, we confirmed two new S-type shell-burning symbiotic stars, IPHAS J190242.78-030037.0 and IPHAS J232159.63$+$555717.8, both exhibiting clear spectral features that allow a clear classification.