{
  "abstract": "We present a multiwavelength analysis of the radio transient VT J1906+0849, discovered as a 70 mJy source in Epoch 1 of the Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS), 21 yr after an NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) nondetection. Radio observations reveal the source was first detected in 2005, peaking at ≳200 mJy in 2014, then declining until a late 2025 rebrightening. The transient sits at a Galactic latitude of ≈0.74 ∘ and the properties of its optical-infrared counterpart support a Galactic origin. At d ≳ 15 kpc, the extreme radio luminosity is likely powered by sustained accretion onto a compact object. However, a Swift-XRT nondetection shows it is X-ray faint relative to the Galactic X-ray binary population, and the radio emission is distinct from X-ray binaries in its temporal and spectral behavior. Broadband radio spectra suggest synchrotron self-absorption, but size constraints from equipartition and very long baseline interferometry show little to no expansion in the radio-emitting region over 5 yr, despite significant spectral evolution. Near-infrared spectroscopy reveals a single broad emission line with a stable centroid but variable width and luminosity. We attribute this feature to blueshifted Br γ tracing a persistent asymmetric ≈2000 km s ⁻¹ outflow. These properties are unlike any previously identified Galactic radio source. One possible interpretation is that VT J1906+0849 is a young analog of the microquasar SS 433, with a dense disk wind confining a continuously powered synchrotron outflow. This jet–wind interaction explains the compact, slowly expanding radio source and may contribute to the absence of bright X-ray emission.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "California Institute of Technology",
    "National Radio Astronomy Observatory",
    "Center for Astrophysics—Harvard & Smithsonian",
    "University of California",
    "Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology",
    "University of California Santa Cruz",
    "University of Toronto",
    "Michigan State University",
    "The Hebrew University of Jerusalem"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jessie M. Miller",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8840-922X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Gregg Hallinan",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7083-4049"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Dillon Dong",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9584-2531"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Adolfo S. Carvalho",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9540-853X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "S. T. Myers"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Jean Somalwar",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8426-5732"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Casey Law",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4119-9963"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "B. M. Gaensler",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3382-9558"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Vikram Ravi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7252-5485"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Laura Chomiuk",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8400-3705"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Assaf Horesh",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5936-1156"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Delina Levine",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3411-6370"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yuyang Chen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8804-3501"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/670989w3jbec9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d5",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "670989w3jbec9",
  "issns": [
    "0004-637X",
    "1538-4357"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d5",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3103|Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7204086156",
  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d5/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/670989w3jbec9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
      "native_id": "10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d5",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aea0d5"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "VLASS Discovery of a Luminous Galactic Radio Transient Evolving on Decade Timescales",
  "title_text": "VLASS Discovery of a Luminous Galactic Radio Transient Evolving on Decade Timescales",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/670989w3jbec9",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal",
  "versions": []
}