Pulsating Stars

Images from Asteroseismology.org
In our galaxy, we see stars pulsate. Gravity makes stars very round. We can describe the pulsations with math. The patterns depend on two numbers. We call them "l" and "m".

"l" changes the number of hot and cool spots. "m" can only be between "-l" and "+l". It changes how the hot and cool spots move around.

Stars are far away. We see brightness changes when "l" is small. Play with "l" and "m" to see the ways stars pulsate.


Sounds of the Stars

Astronomers Discover New Type of Pulsating White Dwarf Star

Last modified December 22, 2004 by Travis Metcalfe.

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