A period of 8.66 hours in the TESS light curve of V1047 Cen (Nova Cen 2005)
ATel #12889; E. Aydi, K. Sokolovsky, L. Chomiuk, J. Strader (MSU) P. Vallely (OSU), D. A. H. Buckley (SAAO), P. Mroz (Warsaw U. Observatory), M. Orio (INAF Padova and University of Wisconsin-Madison), P. Woudt (UCT), D. P. K. Banerjee (Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad), A. Evans (Keele University), F-J. Hambsch (VVS, BAV, AAVSO), P. Schmeer (AAVSO), S. Starrfield (ASU), M. Gromadzki (Warsaw U. Observatory)
on 25 Jun 2019; 23:42 UT
Credential Certification: Elias Aydi (eaydi@saao.ac.za)
Subjects: Optical, Binary, Cataclysmic Variable, Nova, Star, Transient, Variables
The field of V1047 Cen falls into the TESS sector 11 that was observed between 2019 April 22 and May 21, covering the recent re-brightening of the system reported in ATel #12876, #12885.
We report here on timing analysis of the TESS light curve of V1047 Cen. The Lomb-Scargle (Scargle 1982 ApJ, 263, 835) and Deeming (1975 Ap&SS, 36, 137) periodogram obtained from the detrended light curve shows modulation at a period of 8.66 +\- 0.07 h. The periodic signal persist regardless of the choice of the detrending technique (we tried polynomial and piecewise linear), can be recovered from non-overlapping sub-sections of the TESS light curve, and is not associated with any known instrumental feature. We identify 8.66 hr as the likely orbital period that would imply an evolved secondary companion. Alternatively, this could be the superhumps period (e.g. Kato et al. 2009 PASJ, 61S, 395) close to the orbital period, but superhumps have been identified only in systems with periods less than three hours (see Fig. 7 in 2016 MNRAS, 460, 2526).
Follow up observations of the ongoing brightening event in V1047 Cen are strongly encouraged in all bands.
This ATel includes data collected by the TESS mission, which are publicly available from the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST). Funding for the TESS mission is provided by NASA's Science Mission directorate.
