Researchers detect dozens of new variable stars

Tomasz Nowakowski is a member of the physics.org community.

Astronomers have discovered 32 new variable stars by observing the field of a cluster. Most of the new variables are stars and clusters. There is a paper on the arXiv pre-print repository.

Variable stars could offer clues into stellar structure. The distance scale of the universe could be better understood by them. It is possible to study the age and metallicity of galaxies with low surface brightness with the help of the so-calledRRL variables. RRLs are stars with a mass of less than half the sun's.

The detection of dozens of new variables was reported by a team of astronomers. IAO's 2.0-m telescope was used to make the discovery. No variables have been reported in the stellar grouping of Palomar 2, which is 100,000 light years away.

The light curves of stars in the field of Palomar 2 are explored using a time-series of images. The data was obtained with a 2.0-m telescope at the IAO in Hanle, India.

The team found 32 variables. IAO allowed them to discover 20 variables of the type, and by analyzing the data from the satellite they identified 10 more variables. There were six stars that were confirmed to be of the type.

The astronomer performed a membership analysis of the identified variable stars based on proper motions and the positioning of the variables in theCMD. They discovered that 18 of them are members of the cluster.

The researchers found that the location of Palomar 2 is closer to the Earth than previously thought. The results show that the cluster's metallicity is in line with previous studies.

The paper states that the average period of the members is 0.55 days. This shows that Palomar 2 should be classified as a cluster. The average stars in the clusters are higher in metallicity and shorter in pulsation.

More information: A. Arellano Ferro, I. Bustos Fierro, S. Muneer, S. Giridhar, RR Lyrae stars in the globular cluster Palomar 2. arXiv:2208.07849v1 [astro-ph.SR], arxiv.org/abs/2208.07849

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