Stellar Astronomy

This research consists of reclassifying variable stars from the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS). Specifically, I focus on a variable star type, BY Draconis. These stars are red dwarf stars with a radius, 20% the size of the Sun’s (Maxted et al., 2007) and average temperature of 3,000K (Maxted et al., 2007). These stars are like the sun in that they change in brightness over the course of a star spot cycle as our sun does. Reclassifying these stars is important because that data then gets uploaded to the Variable Star Index (VSX) where astronomers use that data as target stars in exoplanet detection studies. With the recent (exoplanet spotting), smaller stars such as these BY Draconis and red dwarf stars are specific targets for finding planets around them. In reclassifying them I also report their stellar cycles calculated using a program called V-Star (Benn, 2012). This is valuable data for understanding how these stars evolve and change over their lifetimes and how they would interact with any planets found in their stellar systems.