Stellar variability has long offered insights into stars' physical properties. The star Mira (Omicron Ceti), for example, was so-named in 1596 by Dutch astronomers who were amazed by its miraculous brightening because of what we now know to be due to periodic changes in its size and temperature. Much less dramatic variability can also be caused when a star has a disk of dust that occasionally blocks some of its light as seen from the Earth. Smaller and fainter stars are typically out of reach fo...
Stellar variability has long offered insights into stars' physical properties. The star Mira (Omicron Ceti), for example, was so-named in 1596 by Dutch astronomers who were amazed by its miraculous brightening because of what we now know to be due to periodic changes in its size and temperature. Much less dramatic variability can also be caused when a star has a disk of dust that occasionally blocks some of its light as seen from the Earth. Smaller and fainter stars are typically out of reach fo...
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