Variable Stars

Variable Stars

Variable stars are stars which exhibit changes in brightness or magnitude. Variable stars, or "variables' come in several flavors.

Pick one of the Variable Stars from the list below to see the light curves that the author has been generating for these objects.

The Cataclysmic Variable
One of the variable stars that I follow is the Cataclysmic Variable [CV]. This is a white dwarf star which is being closely orbited by a larger, red dwarf star. As the white dwarf steals matter from the red dwarf, a large amount of energy, in the form of light, is emitted. The total orbit time of the red dwarf may be from a few dozen to several hundred minutes.

1RXS J232953

EF Peg

FS Aus

T Leonis

WZ Sge

The Eclipsing Binary
Coming soon

Other good references links for Variable Stars are:

The American Association for Variable Star Observers [AAVSO] http://www.aavso.org

VSnet in Japan http://www.kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp/vsnet/DNe/wzsge01.html

Gianluca Masi, Ceccano (FR) Italy http://www.eurolink.it/comets/wzsge.htm

The Beginner's Guide to Cataclysmic Variables
http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/www_astro/gal/cv_beginners.html

Catalogue of Cataclysmic Binaries, Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries and Related Objects
http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/Binary/ukolb/ed6.html