From Light to Sound: Spectroscopic Evolution & Sonification of the flaring Nova V612 Scuti
Pragati Acharya, Elias Aydi, Kirill V. Sokolovsky, Brian D. Metzger, Laura Chomiuk, Peter Craig, Luca Izzo, Justin D. Linford, Shazrene Mohamed, Isabella Molina, Koji Mukai, Ken J. Shen, Jennifer L. Sokoloski, Paul Luckas, Terry Bohlsen, Olivier Garde, Joan G. Flo, Paolo Bellavista, Umberto Sollecchia, Forrest Sims
astro-ph.SR, astro-ph.HE
Submitted: 2026-08-08
Updated: 2026-08-11
Comments: 30 pages, 28 figures, 4 tables, resubmitted to MNRAS for minor revisions
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
The gist: We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the 2017 Galactic nova V612 Sct, whose optical evolution was marked by multiple unusually large maxima.
Terminology
Abstract
We present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the 2017 Galactic nova V612 Sct, whose optical evolution was marked by multiple unusually large maxima. The eruption included two prominent flares lasting around a month each and reaching amplitudes of about 2.5 mag, followed by a series of smaller flares. Extensive spectroscopic monitoring reveals a striking pattern: with each flare, new absorption systems emerge at progressively higher velocities. This behavior, also seen in other flaring novae, provides evidence for repeated episodes of mass ejection or outflow at increasing velocities. V612 Sct also alternated between Fe II and He/N spectral phases during different stages of the eruption, establishing a clear connection between the photometric flares and major spectral transitions. We present two-dimensional dynamic spectra that directly trace the appearance of new absorption features contemporaneous with the light-curve flares. We also introduce a sonification of the spectroscopic sequence, offering an alternative representation of the temporal evolution of the eruption. These results support a picture in which repeated ejection episodes and shock formation play a central role in powering the multiple maxima observed in flaring novae.
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