RR Lyr | RR Lyrae star | | An old metal-poor white or yellow-white giant star that pulsates like a Cepheid and therefore varies in brightness. Most RR Lyrae stars have periods of under one day, which is shorter than periods for Cepheids. RR Lyrae stars are also fainter than Cepheids, with absolute magnitudes around +0.7, corresponding to a luminosity about 45 times the Sun's. RR Lyrae stars are excellent distance indicators because they all have nearly the same intrinsic brightness. They take their name from the star RR Lyrae, in the constellation Lyra. |