Algol
Sign in to saveAlgol , designated Beta Persei (β Persei, abbreviated Beta Per, β Per), known colloquially as the Demon Star, is a bright multiple star in the constellation of Perseus and one of the first non-nova variable stars to be discovered.
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Algol is a bright star in the constellation Perseus, also known as the "Demon Star," that consists of multiple stars orbiting together. It is historically significant because it was one of the earliest variable stars discovered—stars whose brightness visibly changes over time—making it important in the development of astronomy.
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Article
12 sectionsContents
- Observation history
- System
- Names
- The official name Algol
- Ghost and demon star
- First star of Medusa's head
- Chinese names
- Observing Algol
- Cultural significance
- See also
- References
- External links
Algol , designated Beta Persei (β Persei, abbreviated Beta Per, β Per), known colloquially as the Demon Star, is a bright multiple star in the constellation of Perseus and one of the first non-nova variable stars to be discovered.
Algol is a three-star system, consisting of Beta Persei Aa1, Aa2, and Ab – in which the hot luminous primary β Persei Aa1 and the larger, but cooler and fainter, β Persei Aa2 regularly pass in front of each other, causing eclipses. Thus Algol's magnitude is usually near-constant at 2.1, but regularly dips to 3.4 every 2.86 days during the roughly 10-hour-long partial eclipses. The secondary eclipse when the brighter primary star occults the fainter secondary is very shallow and can only be detected photoelectrically.