Letter to the Editor

A new deep minimum in the light curve of the PMS star V 1184 Tauri (CB 34V)

Institute of Astronomy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Isaac Newton Institute of Chile, Bulgarian Branch, 72 Tsarigrdsko Shose blvd., 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria

Corresponding author: esemkov@astro.bas.bg

Received: 16 March 2004
Accepted: 15 April 2004

Abstract

We present results from optical photometry of the pre-main sequence star V 1184 Tau. The star is associated with the Bok globule CB 34 and it was considered as a FUOR candidate in previous studies. Our CCD photometric data () obtained from October 2000 to April 2003 show that the star brightness varies with an amplitude of about () without increasing or decreasing. The comparison of our photometric and spectroscopic results suggests that V 1184 Tau has the characteristics of a WTTS in this period. The photometric data obtained from August 2003 to March 2004 show the beginning of a gradual decrease of the star brightness (~4^m in -light). The analysis of the photometric data suggests that V 1184 Tau shows two types of variability produced (1) by the presence of large cool photospheric spots and (2) by occultation from circumstellar clouds of dust or from an orbiting extended body. The behavior of the  index indicates that the star becomes redder towards minimum light, but from a certain turning point it gets bluer fading further. The possible scenarios to explain the observed eclipse are briefly discussed.