The Red Nova-like Variable in M31 - A Blue Candidate in Quiescence

Understand

M31-RV was an extraordinarily luminous (~10^6 Lsun) eruptive variable, displaying very cool temperatures (roughly 1000 Kelvins) as it faded.

• The photometric behavior of M31-RV (and several other very red novae, i.e.
• luminous eruptive red variables) has led to several models of this apparently new class of astrophysical object.
• One of the most detailed models is that of "mergebursts": hypothetical mergers of close binary stars.