Mira variable
Mira variables
Mira variables are stars massive enough that they have undergone
Early models of Mira stars assumed that the star remained spherically symmetric during this process (largely to keep the computer modelling simple, rather than for physical reasons). A recent survey of Mira variable stars found that 75% of the Mira stars which could be resolved using the IOTA telescope are not spherically symmetric,[6] a result which is consistent with previous images of individual Mira stars,[7][8][9] so there is now pressure to do realistic three-dimensional modelling of Mira stars on supercomputers.[10]
Mira variables may be oxygen-rich or carbon-rich. Carbon-rich stars such as
Mira variables are rapidly losing mass and this material often forms dust shrouds around the star. In some cases conditions are suitable for the formation of natural masers.[13]
A small subset of Mira variables appear to change their period over time: the period increases or decreases by a substantial amount (up to a factor of three) over the course of several decades to a few centuries. This is believed to be caused by thermal pulses, where the helium shell reignites the outer hydrogen shell. This changes the structure of the star, which manifests itself as a change in period. This process is predicted to happen to all Mira variables, but the relatively short duration of thermal pulses (a few thousand years at most) over the asymptotic giant branch lifetime of the star (less than a million years), means we only see it in a few of the several thousand Mira stars known, possibly in R Hydrae.[14] Most Mira variables do exhibit slight cycle-to-cycle changes in period, probably caused by nonlinear behaviour in the stellar envelope including deviations from spherical symmetry.[15][16]
Mira variables are popular targets for amateur astronomers interested in variable star observations, because of their dramatic changes in brightness. Some Mira variables (including Mira itself) have reliable observations stretching back well over a century.[17]
List
The following list contains selected Mira variables. Unless otherwise noted, the given magnitudes are in the V-band, and distances are from the Gaia DR2 star catalogue.[18]
Star |
Brightest magnitude |
Dimmest magnitude |
Period (in days) |
Distance[citation needed] (in parsecs) |
Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mira | 2.0 | 10.1 | 332 | 92+12 −9[19] |
[1] |
Chi Cygni | 3.3 | 14.2 | 408 | 180+45 −30 |
[2] |
R Hydrae | 3.5 | 10.9 | 380 | 224+56 −37 |
[3] |
R Carinae | 3.9 | 10.5 | 307 | 387+81 −57 |
[4] |
R Leonis | 4.4 | 11.3 | 310 | 71+5 −4 |
[5] |
S Carinae | 4.5 | 9.9 | 149 | 497+22 −20 |
[6] |
R Cassiopeiae | 4.7 | 13.5 | 430 | 187+9 −8 |
[7] |
R Horologii | 4.7 | 14.3 | 408 | 313+40 −32 |
[8] |
U Orionis | 4.8 | 13.0 | 377 | 216+19 −16 |
[9] |
RR Scorpii | 5.0 | 12.4 | 281 | 277+18 −16 |
[10] |
R Serpentis | 5.2 | 14.4 | 356 | 285+26 −22 |
[11] |
T Cephei | 5.2 | 11.3 | 388 | 176+13 −12 |
[12] |
R Aquarii | 5.2 | 12.4 | 387 | 320+31 −26 |
[13] |
R Centauri | 5.3 | 11.8 | 502 | 385+159 −87[19] |
[14] |
RR Sagittarii | 5.4 | 14 | 336 | 386+48 −38 |
[15] |
R Trianguli | 5.4 | 12.6 | 267 | 933+353 −201 |
[16] |
S Sculptoris | 5.5 | 13.6 | 367 | 1078+1137 −366 |
[17] |
R Aquilae | 5.5 | 12.0 | 271 | 238+27 −22 |
[18] |
R Leporis | 5.5 | 11.7 | 445 | 419+15 −14 |
[19] |
W Hydrae | 5.6 | 9.6 | 390 | 164+25 −19 |
[20] |
R Andromedae | 5.8 | 15.2 | 409 | 242+30 −24 |
[21] |
S Coronae Borealis | 5.8 | 14.1 | 360 | 431+60 −47 |
[22] |
U Cygni | 5.9 | 12.1 | 463 | 767+34 −31 |
[23] |
X Ophiuchi | 5.9 | 8.6 | 338 | 215+15 −13 |
[24] |
RS Scorpii | 6.0 | 13.0 | 319 | 709+306 −164 |
[25] |
RT Sagittarii | 6.0 | 14.1 | 306 | 575+48 −41 |
[26] |
RU Sagittarii | 6.0 | 13.8 | 240 | 1592+1009 −445 |
[27] |
RT Cygni | 6.0 | 13.1 | 190 | 888+47 −43 |
[28] |
R Geminorum | 6.0 | 14.0 | 370 | 1514+1055 −441 |
[29] |
S Gruis | 6.0 | 15.0 | 402 | 671+109 −82 |
[30] |
V Monocerotis | 6.0 | 13.9 | 341 | 426+50 −41 |
[31] |
R Cancri | 6.1 | 11.9 | 357 | 226+32 −25 |
[32] |
R Virginis | 6.1 | 12.1 | 146 | 530+28 −25 |
[33] |
R Cygni | 6.1 | 14.4 | 426 | 674+47 −41 |
[34] |
R Boötis | 6.2 | 13.1 | 223 | 702+60 −52 |
[35] |
T Normae | 6.2 | 13.6 | 244 | 1116+168 −129 |
[36] |
R Leonis Minoris | 6.3 | 13.2 | 372 | 347+653 −137[19] |
[37] |
S Virginis | 6.3 | 13.2 | 375 | 729+273 −156 |
[38] |
R Reticuli | 6.4 | 14.2 | 281 | 1553+350 −241 |
[39] |
S Herculis | 6.4 | 13.8 | 304 | 477+27 −24 |
[40] |
U Herculis | 6.4 | 13.4 | 404 | 572+53 −45 |
[41] |
R Octantis | 6.4 | 13.2 | 407 | 504+46 −39 |
[42] |
S Pictoris | 6.5 | 14.0 | 422 | 574+74 −59 |
[43] |
R Ursae Majoris
|
6.5 | 13.7 | 302 | 489+54 −44 |
[44] |
R Canum Venaticorum | 6.5 | 12.9 | 329 | 661+65 −54 |
[45] |
R Normae | 6.5 | 12.8 | 496 | 581+10000 −360[19] |
[46] |
T Ursae Majoris
|
6.6 | 13.5 | 257 | 1337+218 −164 |
[47] |
R Aurigae | 6.7 | 13.9 | 458 | 227+21 −17 |
[48] |
RU Herculis | 6.7 | 14.3 | 486 | 511+53 −44 |
[49] |
R Draconis | 6.7 | 13.2 | 246 | 662+58 −49 |
[50] |
V Coronae Borealis | 6.9 | 12.6 | 358 | 843+43 −39 |
[51] |
T Cassiopeiae | 6.9 | 13.0 | 445 | 374+37 −31 |
[52] |
R Pegasi | 6.9 | 13.8 | 378 | 353+35 −29 |
[53] |
V Cassiopeiae | 6.9 | 13.4 | 229 | 298+15 −14 |
[54] |
T Pavonis | 7.0 | 14.4 | 244 | 1606+340 −239 |
[55] |
RS Virginis | 7.0 | 14.6 | 354 | 616+81 −64 |
[56] |
Z Cygni | 7.1 | 14.7 | 264 | 654+36 −33 |
[57] |
S Orionis | 7.2 | 13.1 | 434 | 538+120 −83 |
[58] |
T Draconis | 7.2 | 13.5 | 422 | 783+48 −43 |
[59] |
UV Aurigae | 7.3 | 10.9 | 394 | 1107+83 −72 |
[60] |
W Aquilae | 7.3 | 14.3 | 490 | 321+22 −20 |
[61] |
S Cephei | 7.4 | 12.9 | 487 | 531+23 −21 |
[62] |
R Fornacis | 7.5 | 13.0 | 386 | 633+44 −38 |
[63] |
RZ Pegasi | 7.6 | 13.6 | 437 | 1117+88 −76 |
[64] |
RT Aquilae | 7.6 | 14.5 | 327 | 352+24 −21 |
[65] |
V Cygni | 7.7 | 13.9 | 421 | 458+36 −31 |
[66] |
RR Aquilae | 7.8 | 14.5 | 395 | 318+33 −28 |
[67] |
S Boötis | 7.8 | 13.8 | 271 | 2589+552 −387 |
[68] |
WX Cygni | 8.8 | 13.2 | 410 | 1126+86 −75 |
[69] |
W Draconis | 8.9 | 15.4 | 279 | 6057+4469 −1805 |
[70] |
R Capricorni[20] | 8.9 | 14.9 | 343 | 1407+178 −142 |
[71] |
UX Cygni | 9.0 | 17.0 | 569 | 5669+10000 −2760 |
[72] |
LL Pegasi | 9.6 K | 11.6 K | 696 | 1300[21] | [73] |
TY Cassiopeiae | 10.1 | 19.0 | 645 | 1328+502 −286 |
[74] |
IK Tauri | 10.8 | 16.5 | 470 | 285+36 −29 |
[75] |
CW Leonis | 11.0 R | 14.8 R | 640 | 95+22 −15[22] |
[76] |
TX Camelopardalis | 11.6 B | 17.7 B | 557 | 333+42 −33 |
[77] |
LP Andromedae | 15.1 | 17.3 | 614 | 400+68 −51 |
[78] |
See also
- Long period variable
- Semiregular variable star
References
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- Bibcode:1997JAVSO..25...57M.
- ^ Gaia Collaboration (2018), Gaia DR2, VizieR, retrieved 20 April 2019
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