You are here: Variable classes
In this page you can see all the GCVS classifications. You can click the type and see a description of that below the table.
| Information |
These are variable stars showing outbursts caused by thermonuclear
burst processes in their surface layers (novae) or deep in their
interiors (supernovae). We use the term "novalike" for variables that
show novalike outbursts caused by rapid energy release in the
surrounding space (UG-type stars - see below) and also for objects not
displaying outbursts but resembling explosive variables at minimum
light by their spectral (or other) characteristics. The majority of
explosive and novalike variables are close binary systems, their
components having strong mutual influence on the evolution of each
star. It is often observed that the hot dwarf component of the system
is surrounded by an accretion disk formed by matter lost by the other,
cooler, and more extended component. This category is subdivided into
the following types:
N, NA, NB, NC, NL, NR, SN, SNI, SNII, UG, UGSS, UGSU, UGZ, ZANDSub-class description SU Ursae Majoris-type variables. These are characterized by the presence of two types of outbursts called normal and supermaxima. Normal, short outbursts are similar to those of UGSS stars, while supermaxima are brighter by 2 mag, are more than five times longer (wider), and occur several times less frequently. During supermaxima the light curves show superposed periodic oscillations (superhumps), their periods being close to the orbital ones and amplitudes being about 0.2-0.3 mag in V. Orbital periods are shorter than 0.1 days; companions are of dM spectral type. Copyright © English text: © N.N. Samus [Moscow Inst. Astron.] © O.V. Durlevich [Sternberg Astron. Inst., Moscow] Finnish text Copyright © Mika Luostarinen |
| Eruptive | Pulsating | Rotating | Cataclysmic | Eclipsing | X-ray | Other |
|
FU GCAS I IA IB IN INA INB INT INYY IS ISA ISB IT RCB RS SDOR UV UVN WR |
ACYG BCEP BCEPS CEP CEPB CW CWA CWB DCep DCEPS DSCT DSCTC L Lb Lc MIRA PVTEL RRab RR(B) RRC RR LYRAE TYPE RV RVa RVB SR SRa SRb SRc SRd SXPHE ZZ ZZA ZZB |
ACV ACVO BY ELL FKCOM PSR SXARI |
Nova SN SNI SNII UG UGSS UGSU UGZ ZAnd |
AR D DM DS DW E EA EB EW GS K KE KW PN RS SD WD WR |
X XB XF XI XJ XND XNG XP XPR XPRM,XM |
* BLLAC CST GAL L: QSO S |