Concept information
Preferred term
RV Tauri star
Definition
- RV Tauri is a luminous yellow supergiant pulsating variable, the light curve of which shows alternating deep and shallow minima with a period (measured between one deep minimum and the next) of 30 to 150 days and a brightness range of up to four magnitudes. The spectral type is typically F to G at minimum and G to K at maximum. RV Tau stars seems to be intermediate between the Cepheid variables and Mira variables. They probably represent the low mass, and at least in some cases the low metallicity, portion of stars that are in transition from the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) to white dwarfs. Because of their previously high mass-loss rates, many will probably become planetary nebulae. Others, however, may evolve so slowly that the envelopes may dissipate before becoming photoionized. Since the transition from the AGB to the white dwarf stage of stellar evolution isn't well understood, RV Tau stars stand as a potential bridge across this evolutionary gap. This post-AGB phase of stellar evolution is short, astronomically speaking, lasting only a few thousand years. (Encyclopedia of Science, by David Darling, https://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/R/RV_Tauri_star.html)
Broader concept
In other languages
-
French
URI
http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-KZ9SNV8N-B
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