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A slowly pulsating B-type star (SPB), formerly known as a 53 Persei variable, is a type of pulsating variable star. They may also be termed a long-period pulsating B star (LPB). As the name implies, they are main-sequence stars of spectral type B2 to B9 (3 to 9 times as massive as the Sun) that pulsate with periods between approximately half a day and five days, however within this most member stars have been found to have multiple periods of oscillations. They display variability both in their light emission and in their spectral line profile. The variations in magnitude are generally smaller than 0.1 magnitudes, making it quite hard to observe variability with the naked eye in most cases. The variability increases with decreasing wavelength, thus they are more obviously variable in ultraviolet spectrum than visible light. Their pulsations are non-radial, that is, they vary in shape rather than volume; different parts of the star are expanding and contracting simultaneously.

These stars were first identified as a group and named by astronomers Christoffel Waelkens and Fredy Rufener in 1985 while looking for and analysing variability in hot blue stars. Improvements in photometry had made finding smaller changes in magnitude easier, and they had found that a high percentage of hot stars were intrinsically variable. They referred to them as 53 Persei stars after the prototype 53 Persei. Ten had been discovered by 1993, though Waelkens was unsure if the prototype was actually a member and recommended referring to the group as slowly pulsating B (SPB) stars. The General Catalogue of Variable Stars uses the acronym LPB for "comparatively long-period pulsating B stars (periods exceeding one day)", although this terminology is rarely seen elsewhere.

The similar Beta Cephei variables have shorter periods and have p-mode pulsations, while the SPB stars show g-mode pulsations. By 2007, 51 SPB stars had been confirmed with another 65 stars possible members. Six stars, namely Iota Herculis, 53 Piscium, Nu Eridani, Gamma Pegasi, HD 13745 (V354 Persei) and 53 Arietis had been found to exhibit both Beta Cephei and SPB variability.

List

The following list contains selected slowly pulsating B-type stars that are of interest to amateur or professional astronomy. Unless otherwise noted, the given magnitudes are in the V-band.

Notes

1. ^ Also a Beta Cephei variable
2. ^ Also an Algol variable
3. Also a shell star

References

1. Samus', N. N; et al. (2017). "General catalogue of variable stars". Astronomy Reports. GCVS 5.1. 61 (1): 80. Bibcode:2017ARep...61...80S. doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085. S2CID 125853869.
2. ^ Otero, S. A.; Watson, C.; Wils, P. "Variable Star Type Designations in the VSX". AAVSO Website. American Association of Variable Star Observers. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
3. ^ Waelkens, Christoffel (1993). "Slowly Pulsating B Stars". In J. M. NEMEC (Ed), Jaymie M. Matthews (ed.). New Perspectives on Stellar Pulsation and Pulsating Variable Stars: IAU Colloquium 139. Cambridge University Press. pp. 180–82. ISBN 978-0-521-44382-1.
4. John R. Percy (2007). Understanding Variable Stars. Cambridge University Press. pp. 137–38, 200–02. ISBN 978-1-139-46328-7.
5. Huang, L.; Guo, Z.; Hao, J.; Percy, J. R.; Fieldus, M. S.; Fried, R.; Pavlovski, K.; Bozic, H.; Ruzic, Z.; Paparo, M.; Vetoe, B. (August 1994). "A Multisite UBV Photometric Campaign on 53 Persei in 1991 January". The Astrophysical Journal. 431: 850–869. doi:10.1086/174536. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
6. Waelkens, Christoffel; Rufener, Fredy (1985). "Photometric variability of mid-B stars". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 152 (1): 6–14. Bibcode:1985A&A...152....6W.
7. ^ Samus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
8. "VARIABLE STAR TYPE DESIGNATIONS IN VSX". Retrieved 2016-12-08.
9. Miglio, A. (2007). "Revised instability domains of SPB and β Cephei stars". Communications in Asteroseismology. 151: 48–56. arXiv:0706.3632. Bibcode:2007CoAst.151...48M. doi:10.1553/cia151s48. ISSN 1021-2043.
10. de Cat, P. (2007). "Observational Asteroseismology of slowly pulsating B stars". Communications in Asteroseismology. 150: 167–74. Bibcode:2007CoAst.150..167D. doi:10.1553/cia150s167.

v t e Variable stars
Pulsating	Cepheids and cepheid-like Type I (Classical cepheids, Delta Scuti) Type II (BL Herculis, W Virginis, RV Tauri) RR Lyrae Rapidly oscillating Ap SX Phoenicis Blue-white with early spectra Alpha Cygni Beta Cephei Slowly pulsating B-type PV Telescopii Blue large-amplitude pulsator Long-period Mira Semiregular Slow irregular Other Gamma Doradus Solar-like oscillations White dwarf
Eruptive	Protostar and PMS Herbig Ae/Be Orion FU Orionis T Tauri Giants and supergiants Luminous blue variable R Coronae Borealis (DY Persei) Yellow hypergiant Eruptive binary Double periodic FS Canis Majoris RS Canum Venaticorum Other Flare Gamma Cassiopeiae Lambda Eridani Wolf–Rayet
Cataclysmic	AM Canum Venaticorum Dwarf nova Luminous red nova Nova Polar Intermediate Supernova Hypernova SW Sextantis Symbiotic Symbiotic nova Z Andromedae
Rotating	Non-spherical Rotating ellipsoidal Stellar spots BY Draconis FK Comae Berenices Magnetic fields α Canum Venaticorum Pulsar SX Arietis
Eclipsing	Algol Beta Lyrae Planetary transit W Ursae Majoris
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