A visual bandlight curve for RY Tauri, shawing variability on three different time scales, adapted from Ismailov and Adygezalzade (2012),[1] Ismailov et al. (2011)[2] and Siwak et al. (2011)[3]
There was one suspected stellar companion to RY Tauri, a 14.81 magnitude object 2MASS J04215810+2826300 discovered in 2008 at a projected separation of 1500 AU.[9] It was proven to be a background star not related to RY Tauri with Gaia data though.[12]
Protoplanetary system
The star is surrounded by a protoplanetary disk discovered in 2006.[11] The disk is massive at 0.3M☉ and consists mostly of gas.[13] The existence of a protoplanetary disk is disputed; the signal can also be attributed to the birth envelope partially disrupted by the young star. Also, polar jets were detected.[14] The jets contain detectable amounts of oxygen and sulfur.[6]
A superjovian planet on a 0.2 AU orbit is suspected since 2021.[15]
RY Tauri varies in brightness. It is a highly (by 1.5 magnitudes)[14] obscured Orion variable, producing fluctuations of brightness as the star shines through the inhomogeneities of the inner part of the protoplanetary disk.[13] It also produces irregular brightening events with a duration of about a month and amplitude of one magnitude.[16]
The light curve of RY Tauri varies by 2-3 magnitudes over a decade and by roughly one magnitude over a year. The star was gradually brightening during the 20th century, possibly changing the variability mechanism in the process.[17]
^ abcGorda, S Yu; Mkrtichian, D. E.; Fernandez, M.; Irsmambetova, T. R.; Shenavrin, V. I.; Gahm, G. F.; Djupvik, A. A.; De Albuquerque, R M G.; Babina, E. V.; Artemenko, S. A.; Gameiro, J. F.; Grankin, K. N.; Petrov, P. P. (2019), "Dynamics of wind and the dusty environments in the accreting T Tauri stars RY Tauri and SU Aurigae", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 483: 132–146, arXiv:1811.08635, doi:10.1093/mnras/sty3066
^Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1: B/gcvs. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
^ abItoh, Yoichi; Tamura, Motohide; Hayashi, Masahiko; Oasa, Yumiko; Hayashi, Saeko S.; Fukagawa, Misato; Kudo, Tomoyuki; Mayama, Satoshi; Ishii, Miki; Pyo, Tae-Soo; Yamashita, Takuya; Morino, Junichi (2008), "Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Faint Companions around Young Stellar Objects Associated with the Taurus Molecular Cloud", Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 60 (2): 209–218, Bibcode:2008PASJ...60..209I, doi:10.1093/pasj/60.2.209, hdl:20.500.14094/90001427
^ abcdeDavies, Claire L.; Kraus, Stefan; Harries, Tim J.; Monnier, John D.; Kloppenborg, Brian; Aarnio, Alicia; Baron, Fabien; Lopez, Rebeca Garcia; Millan-Gabet, Rafael; Parks, Robert; Pedretti, Ettore; Perraut, Karine; Sturmann, Judit; Sturmann, Laszlo; Ten Brummelaar, Theo A.; Touhami, Yamina (2020), "The Inner Disk of RY Tau: Evidence of Stellar Occultation by the Disk Atmosphere at the Sublimation Rim from K-band Continuum Interferometry", The Astrophysical Journal, 897 (1): 31, arXiv:2005.06932, Bibcode:2020ApJ...897...31D, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab93c1, S2CID218628839
^ abMonnier, J. D.; Berger, J.-P.; Millan-Gabet, R.; Traub, W. A.; Schloerb, F. P.; Pedretti, E.; Benisty, M.; Carleton, N. P.; Haguenauer, P.; Kern, P.; Labeye, P.; Lacasse, M. G.; Malbet, F.; Perraut, K.; Pearlman, M.; Zhao, M. (2006), "Few Skewed Disks Found in First Closure-Phase Survey of Herbig Ae/Be stars", The Astrophysical Journal, 647 (1): 444–463, arXiv:astro-ph/0606052, Bibcode:2006ApJ...647..444M, doi:10.1086/505340, S2CID7357373
^ abcDavies, Claire L.; Kraus, Stefan; Harries, Tim J.; Monnier, John D.; Kloppenborg, Brian; Aarnio, Alicia; Baron, Fabien; Lopez, Rebeca Garcia; Millan-Gabet, Rafael; Parks, Robert; Pedretti, Ettore; Perraut, Karine; Sturmann, Judit; Sturmann, Laszlo; Ten Brummelaar, Theo A.; Touhami, Yamina (2020), "The inner disk of RY Tau: evidence of stellar occultation by the disk atmosphere at the sublimation rim from K-band continuum interferometry", The Astrophysical Journal, 897 (1): 31, arXiv:2005.06932, Bibcode:2020ApJ...897...31D, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab93c1, S2CID218628839
^Petrov, P. P.; Romanova, M. M.; Grankin, K. N.; Artemenko, S. A.; Babina, E. V.; Gorda, S Yu (2021), "Modulated accretion in the T Tauri star RY Tau – a stable MHD propeller or a planet at 0.2 au?", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 504: 871–877, arXiv:2104.00433, doi:10.1093/mnras/stab904
^Zajtseva, G.; Petrov, P.; Ilyin, I.; Duemler, R.; Tuominen, I. (1996), "RY Tauri at High Brightness", Information Bulletin on Variable Stars, 4408: 1, Bibcode:1996IBVS.4408....1Z
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