The Digital Press

A young star named WISE J054452.25+333009.6 underwent a dramatic brightening event starting in 2019, reaching peak brightness in early 2021, characteristic of an FU Ori-type outburst. This event offers new insights into early star development and disk accretion processes.

Why it matters: The outburst reveals real-time accretion processes in young stars, critical for understanding stellar and planetary formation.

The big picture: FU Ori outbursts mark rapid mass accretion stages, influencing star growth and circumstellar disk evolution.

Stunning stat: The star brightened by over 5 magnitudes in optical and 2.5 magnitudes in mid-infrared within 24 months.

Quick takeaway: FUOr-Aur 0544+3330 shows a face-on disk with accretion rate ~10^-5.48 solar masses per year and accretion luminosity 8.4 solar luminosities.