
SX Arietis variables are a class of
variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes systematically with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are ...
s. They are generally
B-type main sequence stars of spectral types B0p to B9p— high-temperature analogues of
Alpha2 Canum Venaticorum variables—and exhibit strong
magnetic field
A magnetic field (sometimes called B-field) is a physical field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular ...
s and intense
He I and
Si III
spectral lines
A spectral line is a weaker or stronger region in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum. It may result from emission or absorption of light in a narrow frequency range, compared with the nearby frequencies. Spectral lines are often used ...
.
They have brightness fluctuations of approximately 0.1
magnitudes with periods of about one day. The prototype of this class is
56 Arietis, which bears the
variable star designation
In astronomy, a variable-star designation is a unique identifier given to variable stars. It extends the Bayer designation format, with an identifying label (as described below) preceding the Latin genitive of the name of the constellation in whic ...
''SX Arietis''.
List
The following list contains selected SX Arietis variable that are of interest to amateur or professional astronomy. Unless otherwise noted, the given magnitudes are in the
V-band.
Notes
References
Samus N.N., Durlevich O.V., et al. ''Combined General Catalog of Variable Stars (GCVS4.2, 2004 Ed.)''
{{Variable star topics
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