Photometry & spectroscopy follow-up of MWC 882

We found the photometric eclipse to be gray to ~1%. We found that the primary star exhibits spectroscopic signatures of active accretion, and we observed gas absorption features from the disk during eclipse. We suggest that MWC 882 initially consisted of a ~3.6M_{sun}_ donor star transferring mass via Roche lobe overflow to a ~2.1M_{sun}_ accretor in a ~7-day initial orbit.

Through angular momentum conservation, the donor star is pushed outward during mass transfer to its current orbit of 72 days. The observed state of the system corresponds with the donor star having left the red giant branch ~0.3Myr ago, terminating active mass transfer. The present disk is expected to be short-lived (10^2^yr) without an active feeding mechanism, presenting a challenge to this model.