Long-term optical photometry of the PMS stars V2764 Ori and LkH$\alpha$ 301 in the field of the McNeil's Nebula

TL;DR

This study provides the first long-term optical photometric monitoring of the pre-main-sequence stars V2764 Ori and LkHα 301 over 17 years, revealing variability typical of classical T Tauri stars in the Orion star-forming region.

Contribution

It presents the first extensive 17-year photometric dataset for these stars, filling a gap in long-term variability data for PMS stars in this region.

Findings

Stars exhibit variability typical of classical T Tauri stars.

Long-term data covers 17 years of observations.

Photometric behavior consistent with pre-main-sequence stellar activity.

Abstract

In this paper, we present results from long-term $V(RI)_{c}$ photometric observations of the pre-main-sequence stars V2764 Ori and LkH$\alpha$ 301, located in the field of the McNeil's Nebula within the Orion star-forming complex. Our observations were performed in the period from August 2004 to November 2021 with three telescopes and seven different types of CCD cameras. Photometric observations, especially concerning the long-term behavior of the stars, are missing in the literature. We present the first photometric monitoring for them, which cover 17 years. Our data indicate that the variability of both stars is typical for classical T Tauri stars.