A&A Supplement Ser., Vol. 124, July 1997, 143-151

Received September 13; accepted November 16, 1996

Mean light curves of long-period variables and discrimination between carbon- and oxygen-rich stars

M.O. Mennessier, H. Boughaleb, and J.A. Mattei

Send offprint request: menes@graal.univ-montp2.fr

  Université Montpellier II, Groupe de Recherche en Astronomie et Astrophysique du Languedoc, Unité associée au CNRS, F-34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
  American Association of Variable Star Observers, 25 Birch Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138-1205, U.S.A.
  Université des Sciences El Jadida, Maroc

Abstract:

Using 75 years of AAVSO data, mean light curve parameters of a sample of 355 long period M, S, and C mira and semi-regular variable stars are investigated. We present a classification of the light curves of LPVs into 6 distinct groups. Combining this classification with IRAS colors makes it possible to distinguish oxygen-rich from carbon-rich miras.

keywords: stars: AGB, post-AGB -- methods: data analysis -- stars: carbon -- stars: variables

 
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Basic data
• 3. Additional data
• 4. Parameters of the light curves
• 5. Automatic classification
• 6. IRAS colors and light-curve clustering
• 7. Discussion and outlook
• References