periodic variable Comparison Table

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periodic variable comparison table

Subject has spectral type is part of has orbital period has location on H-R diagram has metallic line strength has color has abundance has prototype has period has amplitude has eclipse duration is a kind of has synonym has definition has number of star

beta Cephei star O9-B3 beta Cephei P = 3.5 to 6 hr periodic variable beta Canis Majoris star A small group of short-period pulsating variables lying slightly above the upper main sequence. They have a doubly periodic light curve, and are confined within a narrow band of the H-R diagram which lies near the end of core hydrogen-burning stars of roughly 10-20 M_sun. beta Cephei itself has at least three components.

Cepheid F star, G star and K star delta Cephei 1 to 50 days periodic variable Strictly periodic variables with periods 1-50 days, of spectral types F, G and K.

eclipsing binary half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems close binary Eclipsing variables whose orbital plane lies so nearly in the line of sight that eclipses, as seen from the Earth, can occur and can be detected from their light curves. 2

long-period variable M star, R star, or N star disk Mira 100 to 1000 days 9 magnitudes in the visible, but only 2 or 3 magnitudes in the integrated spectrum periodic variable Mira variable Pulsating red giant or supergiant. Population I typically have periods greater than 200 days; Population II, periods less than 200 days. Long-period variables emit most of their radiation in the infrared.

RR Lyrae star extends shortward from the asymptotic branch at an approximately constant absolute bolometric magnitude of about 0.3 weak blue to yellow horizontal branch star cluster variable A large class of pulsating (amplitude variation about 1 mag) blue giants of anomalous spectral type (A2-F6) with periods of less than 1 day. Their average absolute magnitude is about +0.8. which makes them almost 50 times more luminous than the Sun. They are Population II objects often (but not always) present in globular clusters. RR Lyrae stars are valid distance indicators out to more than 200 kpc.

RV Tau variable G star, K star 60 - 100 days periodic variable Periodic variable with periods 60-100 days, and of spectral types G and K.

Next variable: semiregular variable Up: variable Previous variable: luminous blue variable

Subject	has spectral type	is part of	has orbital period	has location on H-R diagram	has metallic line strength	has color	has abundance	has prototype	has period	has amplitude	has eclipse duration	is a kind of	has synonym	has definition	has number of star
beta Cephei star	O9-B3							beta Cephei	P = 3.5 to 6 hr			periodic variable	beta Canis Majoris star	A small group of short-period pulsating variables lying slightly above the upper main sequence. They have a doubly periodic light curve, and are confined within a narrow band of the H-R diagram which lies near the end of core hydrogen-burning stars of roughly 10-20 M_sun. beta Cephei itself has at least three components.
Cepheid	F star, G star and K star							delta Cephei	1 to 50 days			periodic variable		Strictly periodic variables with periods 1-50 days, of spectral types F, G and K.
eclipsing binary							half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems					close binary		Eclipsing variables whose orbital plane lies so nearly in the line of sight that eclipses, as seen from the Earth, can occur and can be detected from their light curves.	2
long-period variable	M star, R star, or N star	disk						Mira	100 to 1000 days	9 magnitudes in the visible, but only 2 or 3 magnitudes in the integrated spectrum		periodic variable	Mira variable	Pulsating red giant or supergiant. Population I typically have periods greater than 200 days; Population II, periods less than 200 days. Long-period variables emit most of their radiation in the infrared.
RR Lyrae star				extends shortward from the asymptotic branch at an approximately constant absolute bolometric magnitude of about 0.3	weak	blue to yellow						horizontal branch star	cluster variable	A large class of pulsating (amplitude variation about 1 mag) blue giants of anomalous spectral type (A2-F6) with periods of less than 1 day. Their average absolute magnitude is about +0.8. which makes them almost 50 times more luminous than the Sun. They are Population II objects often (but not always) present in globular clusters. RR Lyrae stars are valid distance indicators out to more than 200 kpc.
RV Tau variable	G star, K star								60 - 100 days			periodic variable		Periodic variable with periods 60-100 days, and of spectral types G and K.