+------------+----------+----------+---------+----------------------+
| Name. | Maximum | Minimum | Period. | Remarks. |
| |Magnitude.|Magnitude.| | |
+------------+----------+----------+---------+----------------------+
| | | | Days. | |
|Mira | 1.7 | 9.6 | 331½ | Discovered in |
| | | | |1596. Large irregular-|
| | | | |ities in period |
| | | | |and max. brightness. |
| | | | | |
|R Sculptoris| 6.2 | 8.8 | 376½ | A red “carbon |
| | | | |star.” |
| | | | | |
|R Leporis | 6.1 | 9.7 | 436 | Crimson. A |
| | | | |“carbon star.” |
| | | | | Observed from 1852 |
| | | | |to 1883, but very |
| | | | |few observations |
| | | | |published since, so |
| | | | |new work would |
| | | | |be valuable. |
| | | | | |
|T Centauri | 6.5 | 8.0 | 90¼ | Period unusually |
| | | | |short for this |
| | | | |class of variables. |
| | | | | |
|R Centauri | 5.3 | 13.0 | 568 | An Antarian |
| | | | |star. Double max. |
| | | | |and min. The |
| | | | |secondary min. |
| | | | |about mag. 8½. |
| | | | | |
|R Scuti | 4.8 | 7.8 | ? | Bright and faint |
| | | | |minima, usually |
| | | | |alternative. Period |
| | | | |perhaps irregular. |
| | | | | |
|S Sculptoris| 5.8 | 11.8? | 366 | |
|R Horologii | 5.9 | 12.0 | 405 | |
|L² Puppis | 3.4 | 6.2 | 140 | |
| | | |or longer| |
|R Carinae | 4.5 | 10.0 | 309 |{ Antarian stars. |
| | | | |{ Spectra very similar|
|S Carinae | 5.8 | 9.0 | 148 |{ to that of Mira. |
|R Hydrae | 4.0 | 9.8 | 425 | |
|S Virginis | 5.6 | 12.3 | 379½ | |
|R Aquarii | 6.2 | 11.0 | 387 | |
+------------+----------+----------+---------+----------------------+
Against this suggestion we must set the fact that no stars have been
found to link together the slow and slight change represented by the
sunspot period with the rapid and violent change suffered by Mira
variables. Their periods, though never less than three months, are
never more than two years, and the light radiated by Mira at maximum
sometimes amounts to five thousand times as much as at a faint minimum.
Nevertheless, the fact that these perplexing stars are a link in an
unbroken chain of which our sun also forms part suggests that research
on the sun, our nearest star, will some day help us to understand more
about Mira and stars like Mira.