Image Details
Caption: Figure 18.
Similar to Figure 17, but for the LMC LBV RMC 127 (=HD 269858), which faded by almost 2.5 mag between 2001 and 2021. Most of the APOGEE spectra were taken during relatively faint (and hence hot) phases, such that no absorption features are present save for the P Cygni morphology of the hydrogen lines in early 2019. The complete disappearance in the post-2020 spectra of the Fe II λ16878 emission line that was very strong in the pre-2020 spectra is among the the most extreme variability of any star observed by APOGEE to date. Note that some of the emission features remain unidentified and thus are labeled with question marks in the middle panel.
© 2026. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society.