Hubble Space Telescope image of the cool red giant star Mira in the ultraviolet.
Click on image for star map
M. Karovska (Center for Astrophysics) and NASA
Mira - Flickering Red Giant
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What's in a Name: | Latin for Wonderful
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| Claim to Fame: | Humans have been watching this star with interest for over 300 years. It changes its luminosity over a 332 day period by both shrinking and cooling. At its maximum it is a breathtaking deep red star and the brightest star in the constellation Cetus. But for 5 months it cannot even be seen with the unaided eye.
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| Type of Star: | Red Giant (M7 IIIe Spectral Class)
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| How Far Away: | 220 light years away
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| How Big: | 300 times the sun's diameter. Would fill the orbit of Mars.
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| How Bright: | 3-500 times the sun's luminosity
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| Where to View: | Located in constellation of Cetus
the Whale (Star Map).
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| When to View: | Can only see it when the star is at its maximum brightness in its cycle. Best time to view Cetus is October through January
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Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
The
Summer 2010 issue of The Earth Scientist, available in our
online store, includes articles on rivers and snow, classroom planetariums, satellites and oceanography, hands-on astronomy, and global warming.
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