BY Draconis variables are variable stars of late spectral types, usually K or M, and typically belong to the

main sequence In astronomy, the main sequence is a continuous and distinctive band of stars that appears on plots of stellar color versus brightness. These color-magnitude plots are known as Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams after their co-developers, Ejnar Her ...

. The name comes from the archetype for this category of variable star system,

BY Draconis BY Draconis is a multiple star system in the constellation Draco, consisting of at least three components. Components A and B are main sequence stars, and form a close binary star system with a short orbital period of only 5.98 days. ...

. They exhibit variations in their

luminosity Luminosity is an absolute measure of radiated electromagnetic power (light), the radiant power emitted by a light-emitting object over time. In astronomy, luminosity is the total amount of electromagnetic energy emitted per unit of time by a st ...

due to rotation of the

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

coupled with starspots, and other

chromospheric A chromosphere ("sphere of color") is the second layer of a star's atmosphere, located above the photosphere and below the solar transition region and corona. The term usually refers to the Sun's chromosphere, but not exclusively. In the S ...

activity. Resultant brightness fluctuations are generally less than 0.5 magnitudes. Light curves of BY Draconis variables are quasiperiodic. The period is close to the star's mean rotational rate. The light curve is irregular over the duration of the period and it changes slightly in shape from one period to the next. For the star

the shape of the light curve over a period remained similar for a month. Nearby K and M stars that are BY Draconis variables include Barnard's Star, Kapteyn's Star, 61 Cygni, Ross 248, Lacaille 8760, Lalande 21185, and Luyten 726-8. Ross 248 is the first discovered BY Draconis variable, the variability having been identified by Gerald Edward Kron in 1950. The variability of BY Draconis itself was discovered in 1966 and studied in detail by Pavel Fedorovich Chugainov over the period 1973–1976. Some of these stars may exhibit

flares A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, o ...

, resulting in additional variations of the UV Ceti type. Likewise, the spectra of BY Draconis variables (particularly in their

H and K lines Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

) are similar to RS CVn stars, which are another class of variable stars that have active chromospheres.

References

Further reading