An eruptive variable is a variable star characterised by sudden extreme increases in luminosity.
There are many different types of eruptive variables, with an enormous range of increases in luminosity and recurrence timescales. Examples include flare stars, which are very faint stars on the main sequence; novae and dwarf novae, which are caused by evolved stars in binary systems; and supernovae, which are the violent and spectacularly luminous end for several classes of star.
An eruptivevariable is a variable star characterised by sudden extreme increases in luminosity.
There are many different types of eruptivevariables, with an enormous range of increases in luminosity and recurrence timescales.
Examples include flare stars, which are very faint stars on the main sequence; novae and dwarf novae, which are caused by evolved stars in binary systems; and supernovae, which are the violent and spectacularly luminous end for several classes of star.
Variable stars are generally analysed using photometry and photospectrometry.
For regular variables, the period of variation and its amplitude can be very well established; for many variable stars, though, these quantities may vary slowly over time, or even from one period to the next.
This variation is thought to be caused by episodes of dust formation in the atmosphere of the star.
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