Mira Comparison Table

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physical object > naked eye object > naked eye star > Mira

Next binary star: Polaris Up: binary star, long-period variable, naked eye star, red giant Previous binary star: Luyten 726-8

Mira comparison table

Subject has spectral type is part of is an instance of has optical brightness variation has observational problem has been observ has distance M6e-M9e III has abundance has prototype is usually part of has period has amplitude has discoverer is a kind of has apparent magnitude has image has name designated with has observable variation time scale has synonym has definition has discovery date has luminosity class has number of star

binary star half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems star system A system of two stars orbiting around a common center of gravity. Visual binaries are those whose components can be resolved telescopically (i.e., angular separation > 0'.5) and which have detectable orbital motion. Astrometric binaries are those whose dual nature can be deduced from their variable proper motion; spectroscopic binaries, those whose dual nature can be deduced from their variable radial velocity. At least half of the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of binary (or multiple) systems. (See photometric binaries; optical pairs.) 2

long-period variable M star, R star, or N star disk 0.2 magnitudes or greater some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds Mira 100 to 1000 days 9 magnitudes in the visible, but only 2 or 3 magnitudes in the integrated spectrum periodic variable
R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name
RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted
AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted
V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted
within a period of decades Mira variable Pulsating red giant or supergiant. Population I typically have periods greater than 200 days; Population II, periods less than 200 days. Long-period variables emit most of their radiation in the infrared.

naked eye star Milky Way for many centuries asterism naked eye object brighter than 5 A star visible without visual aids

red giant M star A late-type (K or M) high-luminosity (brighter than M_v = 0) star that occupies the upper right portion of the H-R diagram. Red giants are post-main-sequence stars that have exhausted the nuclear fuel in their cores. The red-giant phase corresponds to the establishment of a deep convective envelope. Red giants in a globular cluster are about 3 times more luminous than RR Lyrae stars in the same cluster. III

Mira M star, R star, or N star disk naked eye star 0.2 magnitudes or greater some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds for many centuries 70 pc -has source: Hopkins, J. 1976 Glossary of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago Press half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems Mira asterism 331 days 5 mag David Fabricius brighter than 5
R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name
RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted
AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted
V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted
within a period of decades omicron Cet A irregular long-period intrinsic variable. It was named Mira ("wonderful") in 1596 by Fabricius, who made the first recorded observations of its brightness fluctuations. Mira is a double star with a faint B companion which is itself variable. 1596 III 2

Next binary star: Polaris Up: binary star, long-period variable, naked eye star, red giant Previous binary star: Luyten 726-8

Subject	has spectral type	is part of	is an instance of	has optical brightness variation	has observational problem	has been observ	has distance	M6e-M9e III	has abundance	has prototype	is usually part of	has period	has amplitude	has discoverer	is a kind of	has apparent magnitude	has image	has name designated with	has observable variation time scale	has synonym	has definition	has discovery date	has luminosity class	has number of star
binary star									half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems						star system						A system of two stars orbiting around a common center of gravity. Visual binaries are those whose components can be resolved telescopically (i.e., angular separation > 0'.5) and which have detectable orbital motion. Astrometric binaries are those whose dual nature can be deduced from their variable proper motion; spectroscopic binaries, those whose dual nature can be deduced from their variable radial velocity. At least half of the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of binary (or multiple) systems. (See photometric binaries; optical pairs.)			2
long-period variable	M star, R star, or N star	disk		0.2 magnitudes or greater	some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds					Mira		100 to 1000 days	9 magnitudes in the visible, but only 2 or 3 magnitudes in the integrated spectrum		periodic variable			R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted	within a period of decades	Mira variable	Pulsating red giant or supergiant. Population I typically have periods greater than 200 days; Population II, periods less than 200 days. Long-period variables emit most of their radiation in the infrared.
naked eye star		Milky Way				for many centuries					asterism				naked eye object	brighter than 5					A star visible without visual aids
red giant															M star						A late-type (K or M) high-luminosity (brighter than M_v = 0) star that occupies the upper right portion of the H-R diagram. Red giants are post-main-sequence stars that have exhausted the nuclear fuel in their cores. The red-giant phase corresponds to the establishment of a deep convective envelope. Red giants in a globular cluster are about 3 times more luminous than RR Lyrae stars in the same cluster.		III
Mira	M star, R star, or N star	disk	naked eye star	0.2 magnitudes or greater	some difficulty in distinguishing between various kinds	for many centuries	70 pc	-has source: Hopkins, J. 1976 Glossary of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago Press	half the stars in the solar neighborhood are members of star systems	Mira	asterism	331 days	5 mag	David Fabricius		brighter than 5		R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, or Z and the genitive of the latin constellation name RR, RS, RT, RU, RV, RW, RX, RY, or RZ and the genitive of the latin constellation name when the single letter designations are exhausted AA...AZ, BB...BZ, etc. (omitting J), which ends with QQ...QZ and the genitive of the latin constellation namewhen the RR...RZ designations are exhausted V 335, V 336, etc., when the double letter designations are exhausted	within a period of decades	omicron Cet	A irregular long-period intrinsic variable. It was named Mira ("wonderful") in 1596 by Fabricius, who made the first recorded observations of its brightness fluctuations. Mira is a double star with a faint B companion which is itself variable.	1596	III	2