Pulsating Variable Stars

Abstract

Of all the variable stars, pulsating stars, especially the Mira (M) and semiregular (SR) stars, are probably the most observed by amateur astronomers. This claim is easily understood when you consider that well over 22,000 pulsating variable stars are cataloged within the GCVS and several million pulsating stars probably exist within the Milky Way. By any measure, this is quite a selection and would keep you busy for many lifetimes. As well as providing a large number from which to choose, many pulsating stars have large amplitudes making them an excellent choice for visual observation.

Pulsating variables are stars showing periodic expansion and contraction of their surface layers. The pulsations may be radial. A radially pulsating star remains spherical in shaper, while in the case of non-radial pulsations the star’s shape periodically deviates from a sphere, and even neighboring zones of its surface may have opposite pulsation phases.

GCVS