A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth changes systematically 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:
A Cepheid variable is a type of variable star that pulsates radially, varying in both diameter and temperature. It changes in brightness, with a well-defined stable period and amplitude. Cepheids are important cosmic benchmarks for scaling galactic and extragalactic distances; a strong direct relationship exists between a Cepheid variable's luminosity and its pulsation period.
Epsilon Aurigae is a multiple star system in the northern constellation of Auriga, the charioteer. It is an unusual eclipsing binary system comprising an F0 supergiant and a companion which is generally accepted to be a huge dark disk orbiting an unknown object, possibly a binary system of two small B-type stars. The distance to the system is still a subject of debate, but data from the Gaia spacecraft puts its distance at around 3,300 light years from Earth.
W Sagittarii is a multiple star system star in the constellation Sagittarius, and a Cepheid variable star.
RV Tauri variables are luminous variable stars that have distinctive light variations with alternating deep and shallow minima.
104 Aquarii (abbreviated 104 Aqr) is a star in the equatorial constellation of Aquarius. 104 Aquarii is the Flamsteed designation, although it also bears the Bayer designation A2 Aquarii. Based on an annual parallax shift of only 3.89 ± 0.25 milliarcseconds, the distance to this star is about 840 light-years (260 parsecs). At that range, the brightness of the star in the V-band is reduced by 0.10 magnitudes as a result of extinction caused by intervening gas and dust.
MY Cephei is a red supergiant located in open cluster NGC 7419 in the constellation of Cepheus. It is a semiregular variable star with a maximum brightness of magnitude 14.4 and a minimum of magnitude 15.5.
V810 Centauri is a double star consisting of a yellow hypergiant primary and blue giant secondary. It is a small amplitude variable star, entirely due to the supergiant primary which is visually over three magnitudes brighter than the secondary. It is the MK spectral standard for class G0 0-Ia.
FF Aquilae is a classical Cepheid variable star located in the constellation Aquila, close to the border with Hercules. It ranges from apparent magnitude 5.18 to 5.51 over a period of 4.47 days, meaning it is faintly visible to the unaided eye in rural or suburban settings.
A yellow supergiant (YSG) is a star, generally of spectral type F or G, having a supergiant luminosity class. They are stars that have evolved away from the main sequence, expanding and becoming more luminous.
Beta Doradus, Latinized from β Doradus, is the second brightest star in the southern constellation of Dorado. It is a Classical Cepheid variable, with an apparent magnitude that varies between 3.46 to 4.08. Based upon parallax measurements with the Hubble Space Telescope, it is located at a distance of 1,040 light-years from Earth.
W Virginis is the prototype W Virginis variable, a subclass of the Cepheid variable stars. It is located in the constellation Virgo, and varies between magnitudes 9.46 and 10.75 over a period of approximately 17 days.
Kappa Pavonis is a variable star in the constellation Pavo. It is the brightest W Virginis variable in the sky.
S Vulpeculae is a variable star located in the constellation Vulpecula. A supergiant star, it is around 382 times the diameter of the Sun.
BL Telescopii is a multiple star in the constellation Telescopium. An Algol-like eclipsing binary, the star system varies between apparent magnitudes 7.09 and 9.08 in just over 778 days, which is generally too faint to be seen with the unaided eye. This is mainly due to the system being an eclipsing binary. The eclipse itself dims the star by two magnitudes and lasts around 104 days.
BL Boötis is a pulsating star in the constellation Boötes. It is the prototype of a class of anomalous Cepheids which is intermediate in the H-R diagram between the type I classical Cepheids and the type II Cepheids.
OGLE-LMC-CEP0227 is an eclipsing binary and Cepheid variable star, pulsating every 3.8 days. The star, in the Large Magellanic Cloud, was the first Cepheid star system found to be orbiting exactly edge on.
Psi2 Orionis a binary star system in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It has an apparent visual magnitude of 4.6, indicating that it is visible to the naked eye. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 2.87 mass, it is roughly 1,100 light years distant from the Sun.
SZ Tauri is a variable star in the equatorial constellation of Taurus. The brightness of this star varies from an apparent visual magnitude of 6.39 down to 6.69 with a period of 3.149 days, which is near the lower limit of visibility to the naked eye. The distance to this star is approximately 2,070 light years based on parallax measurements. There is some indication this may be a binary system, but the evidence is inconclusive.
HD 271182, occasionally referred to as G266 and R92, is a rare yellow hypergiant (YHG) and an Alpha Cygni variable. It is one of the brightest stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), positioned in the deep southern constellation of Dorado. Gaia DR2 parallax measurements indicate that it is located around 200,000 light-years away, though this value is extremely uncertain. Despite this vast distance from Earth, the star is observable through a small telescope due to its immense luminosity, at an apparent magnitude of 9.6. It is receding away from the Sun at a heliocentric radial velocity of +311.9185 km/s, confirming its membership in the LMC.
