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Mira

File:Chi_Cygni_pulsations.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Also known as Omicron Ceti, o Ceti, ο Cet, 68 Ceti, 68 Cet, HD 14386, HIP 10826, HR 681

Mira, pronounced , is a binary star in the constellation Cetus. It has the Bayer designation Omicron Ceti, which is Latinized from ο Ceti, and abbreviated Omicron Cet or ο Cet. The system consists of a variable red giant (Mira A) along with a white dwarf companion (Mira B). Mira A is a pulsating variable star and was the first non-supernova variable star discovered, with the possible exception of Algol. It is the prototype of the Mira variables. The system lies at a distance of .

AI overview

Mira is a binary star system in the constellation Cetus consisting of a pulsating red giant and a white dwarf companion, notable for being the first non-supernova variable star discovered and serving as the prototype for an entire class of similar stars. It matters because its discovery and study of its brightness variations helped astronomers understand stellar behavior and led to the identification of other stars with similar pulsating properties.

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Wikidata facts

Distance from Earth
92
Mass
1.2
Image
Mira 1997.jpg
Show 14 more facts
catalog code
WEB 2282
spectral class
Md
Commons category
Mira
radial velocity
63.0
Commons gallery
Mira Ceti
apparent magnitude
-2.21
right ascension
34.836633758
declination
-2.977637673
parallax
7.79
time of discovery or invention
1596-08-13
declination component of proper motion
-232
effective temperature
3000
right ascension component of proper motion
-9
age estimated by a dating method
6
Sources (9)

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~13 min read

Article

11 sections
Contents
  • Nomenclature
  • Observation history
  • Distance and background Information
  • Stellar system
  • Component A
  • Variability
  • Mass loss
  • Component B
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

Mira, pronounced , is a binary star in the constellation Cetus. It has the Bayer designation Omicron Ceti, which is Latinized from ο Ceti, and abbreviated Omicron Cet or ο Cet. The system consists of a variable red giant (Mira A) along with a white dwarf companion (Mira B). Mira A is a pulsating variable star and was the first non-supernova variable star discovered, with the possible exception of Algol. It is the prototype of the Mira variables. The system lies at a distance of .

==Nomenclature== ο Ceti (Latinised to Omicron Ceti) is the star's Bayer designation. It was named Mira (Latin for 'wonderful' or 'astonishing') by Johannes Hevelius in his Historiola Mirae Stellae (1662). In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by the WGSN, which included Mira for this star. thumb|Mira at two different times

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