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M.A. Peña, R.J. Cool, S. B. Howell, A. Adamson (NOAO)
Only two stars have been classified as Iron Stars: XX Oph and AS 325. This distinction is bestowed upon them as their optical spectra consist entirely of a forest of emission lines, most of which are due to the ionized metals of iron, chromium, and titanium. Over the years, XX Oph (Merrill's iron star) and AS 325 have received various classifications including spectral types from B to M and even thought to be binary stars. Using new optical and near-IR spectroscopy we have finally observed the stellar photospheres in these two objects. They appear to be evolved stars trapped in a dense region of the Rho Oph star forming region. Taking our multi-wavelength observations plus past work by others, we have developed a new model for what these two unique objects really are.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: rcool@as.arizona.edu, mapeague@email.arizona.edu, howell@noao.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.