Brightness Fluctuations of Stars in the Pleiades Cluster (IMAGE)

Royal Astronomical Society

Brightness Fluctuations of Stars in the Pleiades Cluster

Caption

The unique brightness fluctuations of each star reveal clues about their physical properties such as their size and rotation rate. Most of the bright stars in the Pleiades are a type of variable star called a slowly pulsating B star, but Maia is different, and shows evidence of a large chemical spot that crosses its surface as the star rotates with a 10-day period.

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Credit: Aarhus University / T. White

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