Non-Mira Pulsating Red Giants and Supergiants

Volume 40 number 1 (2012)

Download this article (pdf)

László L. Kiss

Konkoly Observatory, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1121 Budapest, Konkoly Th. M. 15-17, Hungary; kiss@konkoly.hu and Sydney Institute for Astronomy, School of Physics A28, University of Sydney, Australia

John R. Percy

Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada; john.percy@utoronto.ca

Abstract

We review the present understanding of (i) non-Mira pulsating red giants i.e. those with visual amplitudes less than 2.5 magnitudes, and (ii) pulsating red supergiants. We also identify some unsolved problems with these stars. We highlight the contributions by skilled amateur astronomers in the AAVSO and other organizations, using visual, photoelectric, and CCD photometry.