SIMBAD references

2026ApJ...998..113W - Astrophys. J., 998, 113 (2026/February-2)

HST Observations of HD 166620 and τ Ceti: First UV Spectra of a Magnetic Grand Minimum Star and the Extent of τ Ceti's Astrosphere.

WOOD B.E., MULLER H.-R., HARTSHORN D., REDFIELD S. and METCALFE T.S.

Abstract (from CDS):

We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV spectra of the K2 V star HD 166620, the first star clearly recognized to be in a “magnetic grand minimum” state analogous to the Sun's “Maunder minimum” in the late 1600s. The stellar H I Lyα surface fluxes are extremely low, about a factor of 2 below fluxes observed during solar minimum, and also significantly lower than those of τ Ceti (G8 V) and HD 191408 (K2.5 V), two stars more similar to HD 166620 in spectral type and age (∼10 Gyr) than the Sun. The τ Ceti data that are compared with HD 166620 include both old archival data and a new HST observation as well. The Lyα data are used to confirm a nondetection of astrospheric Lyα absorption for this star, suggesting a very weak wind with $\dot{M}\lt 0.1$${\dot{M}}_{\odot }$. The very compact astrosphere inferred for τ Ceti indicates that the star's debris disk is at least partly exposed to the interstellar medium (ISM), and we discuss possible consequences.

Abstract Copyright: © 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.

Journal keyword(s): Interstellar absorption - Ultraviolet spectroscopy - Stellar chromospheres - Debris disks - Stellar winds - Interstellar medium - Stellar-interstellar interactions

Simbad objects: 17

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