A major optical and X-ray outburst from the Magellanic Bridge source RX J0209.6–7427

Abstract

ABSTRACT RX J0209.6–7427 is an X-ray source in the Magellanic Bridge that was first detected in 1993, but not seen again till 2019. It has been identified as a member of the Be/X-ray binary class, a category of objects that are well established as bright, often-unpredictable transients. Such systems are rarely known in the Bridge, possibly because they lie outside the area most commonly studied by X-ray telescopes. Whatever be the reason for the sparse number of such systems in the Bridge, they can provide useful tools for trying to understand the result of the tidal dynamics of the two Magellanic Clouds. In this paper, the nature of the object is explored with the help of new data obtained during the latest outburst. In particular, the first optical spectrum of the counterpart is presented to help classify the star, plus measurements of the Balmer emission lines over several years are used to investigate changes in the size and structure of the circumstellar disc.