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You are here: Home / Space / What Are Variable Stars and How Many Different Types Of Variable Stars Are There That Change In Brightness?

What Are Variable Stars and How Many Different Types Of Variable Stars Are There That Change In Brightness?

March 5, 2020 by Karen Hill

Three types of variable stars grow brighter and dimmer at regular intervals: Cepheids, RR Lyrae, and long-period variables (LPVs).

These stars are probably between old age and death.

Cepheids take anywhere from about 1 to 70 days to go from their brightest to their dimmest and back to their brightest.

The brightness of RR Lyrae varies during regular cycles that average less than 1 day.

LPVs’ brightness fluctuates at irregular intervals longer than 80 days.

The cycle for the LPV named Mira, for example, takes more than 300 days.

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Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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