Variable star
Star whose brightness fluctuates, as seen from Earth / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the novel by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson, see Variable Star.
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as either:[1]
- Intrinsic variables, whose luminosity actually changes; for example, because the star periodically swells and shrinks.
- Extrinsic variables, whose apparent changes in brightness are due to changes in the amount of their light that can reach Earth; for example, because the star has an orbiting companion that sometimes eclipses it.
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Many, possibly most, stars have at least some variation in luminosity: the energy output of the Sun, for example, varies by about 0.1% over an 11-year solar cycle.[2]