The AAVSO light curve reveals a long-term dimming trend in the semi-regular variable star V386 Cep, the average visual magnitude dropping from 10 in 1989 to 11.8 in 2025. SIMBAD classifies the star as a red supergiant, but the length of the dimming is incompatible with dust dimmings observed in e.g. Betelgeuse and RW Cep. DASCH photometry reveals that the star remained stable up until around the start of the AAVSO data, ruling out a long secondary period.
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