Animated GIF 2018 and 2019
Animated by an article in Sky&Telescope June 19, describing the occurence of a Mira-like variable star in M27 , I combined photos from August 2018 and 2019. The red star is only visible in th photo from 2019.
Citation from a website (
https://www.messier-objects.com/messier-27-dumbbell-nebula/):
In 1988, Leos Ondra, a Czech amateur astronomer, discovered a variable star that appeared in some images of M27 but not in others. He concluded that it was a long period variable and nicknamed it Goldilocks.
The Goldilocks Variable was later confirmed to be a Mira-type variable, a pulsating star going through a cycle of expansion and contraction every 213 days. Mira variables were named after Mira, also known by its Bayer designation Omicron Ceti, a red giant star located in the constellation Cetus, the Whale.
The Goldilocks Variable is not in the Dumbbell Nebula, but lies much farther away. It can be seen in the distance because M27 is partially transparent.
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