Personalities of Mira Variables as Revealed by Their Spectra--Verdict: Bizarre!

Volume 25 number 2 (1997)

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Robert F. Garrison

University of Toronto

Abstract

The spectra of Mira variables are beautiful to the eye. They are also full of information about the temperature, pressure, chemical composition, and structure of the star. A general overview of some of the techniques for extracting this information will be given, with the strange behavior of the aluminum oxide molecule as a specific example.