The activity of the symbiotic binary Z Andromedae and its latest outburst

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the recent outburst of the symbiotic binary Z Andromedae, highlighting similarities with past outbursts and emphasizing the importance of long-term observational monitoring for understanding such systems.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the latest outburst of Z Andromedae using amateur astronomer data, revealing patterns consistent with previous outbursts and jets.

Findings

The last outburst closely resembles previous events.

Jets were observed during the outburst.

Long-term monitoring is crucial for understanding symbiotic binaries.

Abstract

Z Andromedae is a prototype of classical symbiotic variable stars. It is characterized by alternating of quiescent and active stages, the later ones are accompanied by changes in both photometry and spectral characteristics of this object. The current activity of Z And began in 2000, and the last outburst was recorded at the turn of the years 2017 and 2018. An important source of information about the behaviour of this symbiotic binary during the ongoing active stage is photometric and spectroscopic observations obtained with small telescopes by amateur astronomers. In this paper, we present the results of analysis of these observations, with an emphasis on the significant similarity of the last outburst of Z And with the previous ones, during which jets from this symbiotic system were observed. The presented results point to the importance of long-term monitoring of symbiotic binaries.