We studied the variability of the magnetic O-type supergiant $\zeta$ Ori Aa using multi-colour BRITE photometry. We confirmed the known rotation frequency $f_{ \rm rot} = 0.15 \pm 0.02$ c/d, and detected some of its higher harmonics, of which $4f_{ \rm rot}$ is compatible with the known DAC recurrence timescale. Thanks to simultaneous high-resolution CHIRON spectroscopy, we could identify another frequency $f_{ \rm env} = 0.10 \pm 0.02$ c/d, caused by the circumstellar environment. Variations in the circumstellar environment are believed to cause the observed difference between the BRITE lightcurves.
Categories: astro-ph.SR