Variable Stars
42 entries in the Variable Stars compendium.
Variable starA star whose brightness changes over time, classified as intrinsic or extrinsic.American Association of Variable Star ObserversCoordinating amateur variable star observations since 1911.Applegate mechanismExplains orbital period changes via magnetic torque and spin-orbit coupling.Beta Lyrae variableClose binary stars with smooth eclipses and mass flows.BL Herculis variableLow-mass type II Cepheids with periods under eight days.DY PegasiA binary star system and SX Phoenicis variable in Pegasus.EZ Canis MajorisA Wolf–Rayet binary with disputed neutron star companion.FG SagittaeA supergiant star that rapidly cooled and now fades like an R Coronae Borealis star.General Catalogue of Variable StarsA catalogue of variable stars in the Milky Way, updated since 1948.HD 101584A suspected post-common envelope binary with a complex nebula.HD 105382A rotating chemically peculiar star with variable helium and silicon.HR 4138A chemically peculiar A-type star with a debris disk.Kappa–mechanismOpacity-driven pulsation mechanism in many variable star types.LB-1Binary system once thought to contain a massive black hole.Light curveGraph of light intensity over time for celestial objects.R VolantisMira variable carbon star in Volans with emission lines.Rho AquariiA binary star system and candidate hybrid pulsator in Aquarius.RR Lyrae variablePulsating standard candles used for measuring galactic distances.Scorpius X-1First extrasolar X-ray source, brightest non-solar X-ray object.Solar-like oscillationsStellar oscillations excited by turbulent convection, like the Sun.Stellar pulsationStellar pulsations arise from expansions and contractions in a star's outer layers.Supernova impostorStellar explosions that mimic supernovae but leave their stars intact.SX Phoenicis variableShort-period pulsating stars with low metallicity and high space velocity.V454 CarinaeTriple early B-type system with eclipsing binary and runaway history.V605 AquilaeA born-again star with dramatic outbursts and changing composition.V1400 CentauriYoung star that underwent extreme dimming events in 2007, possibly by a disked object.V1794 CygniA rapidly rotating giant star in Cygnus, classified as FK Comae Berenices variable.WD 0816−310Magnetic white dwarf with a metal scar from an accreted asteroid.WD J2147–4035A cold, magnetic white dwarf polluted with planetary debris.WR 121-16A dim, transitional Wolf-Rayet star near the Wild Duck Cluster.X-ray bursterX-ray bursters are neutron-star binaries emitting periodic X-ray flashes.Xi OctantisA faintly visible B-type variable star in Octans.Cataclysmic variable starBinary stars that brighten dramatically via accretion-driven outbursts.Symbiotic binaryBinary star system with a white dwarf and red giant.DW CancriMagnetic cataclysmic variable with VY Scl-type low states.DW Ursae MajorisEclipsing cataclysmic variable with a self-eclipsing accretion disk.ER Ursae MajorisPrototype for a subclass of SU Ursae Majoris dwarf novae.Guest star (astronomy)Ancient Chinese term for a transient star, now linked to novae and supernovae.HM SagittaeA dusty symbiotic nova discovered in 1975 in Sagitta.MWC 560Symbiotic binary with high-velocity jets and flickering variability.RZ GruisA nova-like binary with an unusually long orbital period.SuperhumpPeriodic brightness variation near the orbital period in cataclysmic variables.
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