{
  "abstract": "We report a rapid optical changing-look event in the Seyfert galaxy NGC 3227: the optical continuum faded by ∼70%, and broad H β emission nearly disappeared within weeks before recovering within 2 months. Damped random walk simulations calibrated to the source’s normal variability show that such a decline is unlikely for stochastic accretion fluctuations. The optical decline coincides with an X-ray spectral hardening event detected by Swift, indicating additional line-of-sight absorption. During the dim state, reverberation mapping yields a clear 6–8 day lag between the continuum and broad H β , placing the obscurer interior to the broad-line region. Photoionization calculations require a fully ionized Compton-thick column with N H ≈ 1.5 × 10 ²⁴ cm ⁻² to reproduce the optical continuum suppression. Together, these observations demonstrate that compact, high-column-density obscurers interior to the broad-line region can produce extreme optical changing-look behavior on timescales of weeks.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of Wyoming",
    "Chinese Academy of Sciences",
    "University of Chinese Academy of Sciences",
    "SUPA School of Physics and Astronomy",
    "Space Telescope Science Institute",
    "University of Nevada"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 13,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kaiwen Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Michael S. Brotherton",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1207-0909"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Pu Du"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Dong-Wei Bao",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2024-1648"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bi-Xuan Zhao",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1007-1991"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Feng-na Fang",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-9945-673X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yan-Rong Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5841-9179"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chen Hu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ming Xiao",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5981-6440"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Keith Horne",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1728-0304"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Gerard A. Kriss",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2180-8266"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Proga",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6336-5125"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jian-Min Wang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a30kvg0g6mqx8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3847/2041-8213/aeb6c3",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "a30kvg0g6mqx8",
  "issns": [
    "2041-8213",
    "2041-8205"
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  "landing_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeb6c3",
  "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": [
    [
      "feed-journal",
      "astronomy/general"
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  "pdf_url": "https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeb6c3/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-06",
  "publisher": "American Astronomical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a30kvg0g6mqx8.ris",
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    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-06T18:20:56Z",
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "astronomy",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:3103|Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies",
      "subfield": "stellar"
    }
  ],
  "title": "NGC 3227 Blinks: An Extreme Changing-look Event in a Seyfert Galaxy",
  "title_text": "NGC 3227 Blinks: An Extreme Changing-look Event in a Seyfert Galaxy",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T00:21:15Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a30kvg0g6mqx8",
  "venue": "The Astrophysical Journal Letters",
  "versions": []
}