STEREO observations of long period variables

TL;DR

This study analyzes STEREO Heliospheric Imager data to identify and characterize long-period variable stars, discovering new candidates and providing the first period measurements for many, highlighting observational challenges and potential circumstellar features.

Contribution

It presents the first period determinations for 19 long-period variables and identifies 6 new variable stars using space-based observations.

Findings

85 variable stars identified, mostly Mira variables.

Periods range from 170 to 490 days, with a gap between 200-300 days.

First period measurements for 19 stars.

Abstract

Observations from the Heliospheric Imagers (HI-1) on both the STEREO spacecraft have been analysed to search for very long period large amplitude stellar variability, finding 6 new candidates. A total of 85 objects, mostly previously known Mira variables, were found to show convincing variability on time scales of over a hundred days. These objects range in peak brightness from about 4th magnitude to 10th magnitude in R and have periods between about 170 days and 490 days. There is a period gap between 200 and 300 days where no objects were found and this is discussed. 15 of the Miras in the sample are previously recorded as having variable periods and the possibility for these and 2 other stars to have undergone a period change or to be irregular is discussed. In addition to the 6 stars in the sample not previously recorded as variable, another 7 are recorded as variable but with no classification. Our period determination is the first to be made for 19 of these 85 stars. The sample represents a set of very long period variables that would be challenging to monitor from the Earth, or even from Earth orbit, owing to their position on the Ecliptic Plane and that their periods are often close to a year or an integer fraction thereof. The possibility for the new candidates to possess circumstellar shells is discussed.