High-resolution optical spectroscopy of V838 Monocerotis in 2009
High-resolution optical spectroscopy of V838 Monocerotis in 2009
Context. V838 Mon erupted at the beginning of 2002. In the course of the outburst the object evolved to low effective temperatures and declined as a very late M-type supergiant. Among various scenarios proposed to explain the nature of the outburst, the most promising is a stellar merger event.