Variable "Be" Stars in the Perseus Constellation

Abstract

Over four nights between September 26th and October 23rd, the young star cluster âh Perseiâ was observed with a CCD camera attached to a Celestron telescope. The two stars, Oo 1278 and Oo 1282, are the primary focus of this research project. The apparent magnitudes for these two stars were plotted against time to create light curves to study the variability. Oo 1282 was found to be a variable star as its differential magnitude varies with time. Fourier Analysis found three frequencies for a multiperiodic trend of the differential magnitude for Oo 1282, but there was insufficient data to carry out the same analysis on Oo 1278. By analyzing the spectra obtained by the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria B.C, the two stars in question can be classified as early B spectral-type stars. Furthermore, Oo 1282 can be classified as a mild Be star due to the H beta line in partial emission.