Starspots on by DRA-Type Stars

Abstract

The first detection of spots on dwarf M stars was by Kron on YY Geminorum in 1948. Since then phenomena attributable to starspots have been found by numerous authors beginning with Kraft and Krzeminski on the star now known as BY Draconis and on CC Eridani by Evans. There is a close correlation between spottedness, Balmer emission and flaring in dwarf M stars.Evans appears to have been the first to attempt to analyse the small range light variations on spotted stars in terms of modulation caused by axial rotation. In comparison with the solar case one must assume that the spots are very large and long lived. There is also an ambiguity in dealing with very large dark spots as between a star with a dark area or a cool star with a bright area (the zebra effect—is a zebra a black animal with white stripes or a white animal with black stripes?). It is difficult to arrive at a solution for the spot parameters which is unique. In particular several analyses which have appeared have assumed that maximum light corresponds to the immaculate star whereas in fact the maximum light in the variation corresponds to the immaculate star dimmed by the light of any constant star abstraction.