Pulsating Stars
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All through the galaxy, we find stars that pulsate. Gravity makes stars
very spherical. Because of this, we can describe the pulsations with math
functions called spherical harmonics. The patterns of these functions
depend on two numbers, usually called "l" and "m".
The value of "l" changes the total number of hot and cool zones. The value
of "m" can only be between "-l" and "+l". It changes how the hot and cool
zones move around the surface.
From far away, we can only see the brightness change when "l" is small.
Play with the values of "l" and "m" to see some of the different ways
stars can pulsate.
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Sounds of the Stars
Astronomers Discover New Type of Pulsating White Dwarf Star
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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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