In 1973, Arlo Udell Landolt published an article suggesting that the star, then known as HD 168476, might vary in brightness on a timedcale of a decade.[11] In 1980, Helen Joan Walker and David Kilkenny confirmed that the star's brightness varies.[12] It was given its variable star designation, PV Telescopii, in 1981.[13]
This is an extreme helium star that shows a highly-processed atmosphere.[14] It is a blue-white hued B-type supergiant star with a peculiar spectrum that has "weak hydrogen lines and enhanced lines of He and C".[15][16] This object may be a late thermal pulse post-AGB star or the result of a merger of two white dwarf stars.[8][17] The star shows radial velocity changes thought to be due to radial pulsations caused by a strange mode instability.[8] It shows variations over a few days, 8–10 days being typically quoted.[8][17] Despite a mass thought to be less than the Sun,[8] it is actually around 24,000 times more luminous.[1]
^ abcDucati, J. R. (2002). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalogue of Stellar Photometry in Johnson's 11-color system". CDS/ADC Collection of Electronic Catalogues. 2237. Bibcode:2002yCat.2237....0D.
^Walker, H. J.; Hill, P. W. (1985). "Radial velocities for the hydrogen-deficient star HD 168476, several helium-strong and helium-weak stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series. 61: 303. Bibcode:1985A&AS...61..303W.
^Heber, U.; Schoenberner, D. (1981). "Colours and effective temperatures of extreme helium stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 102: 73. Bibcode:1981A&A...102...73H.
^Kholopov, P. N.; Samus, N. N.; Kukarkina, N. P.; Medvedeva, G. I.; Perova, N. B. (February 1981). "65th Name-List of Variable Stars"(PDF). Information Bulletin on Variable Stars. 1921: 1–21. Bibcode:1981IBVS.1921....1K. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
^Jeffery, C. Simon (March 2008). "Variable Star Designations for Extreme Helium Stars". Information Bulletin on Variable Stars. 5817: 1. Bibcode:2008IBVS.5817....1J.
