Program: GN-2018A-FT-108

Extreme mass loss around massive stars during the last part of their lives is common, as evident from observations of stars that loss all hydrogen and/or helium from their envelope. These are either Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars or progenitors to hydrogen/helium free, stripped-envelope supernovae (SNe). The physics driving eruptive outbursts from massive stars is unknown but implicates the influential role of binarity in massive star evolution since it is difficult to explain significant mass loss from single star models. Some SNe interact strongly with their circumstellar medium (CSM), formed by these mass loss mechanisms, and studying these interactions can shed light on the CSM’s origin. SN 2014C, dubbed the "Chameleon,” exploded as a H-poor (Ib) then subsequently transformed into a H-rich interacting (IIn) SN as the shock crashed into a dense CSM ejected from its progenitor around a century prior. More than 3 years post-explosion, the SN remains very bright in the IR bands, indicating a copious amount of dust. We propose for the total of 3 hours of observing time with 1 hour of L’ and M’ band NIRI photometry and 2 hours of L’ band GNIRS spectroscopy to probe the dust mass and composition of the CSM and investigate its origin.