The heart of the universe beats slowly in the form of Mira, a red giant star in the constellation Cetus that pulsates with a period of about 332 days. This remarkable star, which is over 300 million miles wide, is one of the most voluminous stars known and is visible to the naked eye at its maximum brightness. Mira, which is about 350 light-years from the sun, sheds a considerable portion of its outer shell into space, leaving a comet-like tail of hot gas that stretches for an astounding 13 light-years.
Mira is a long-period variable star that was first discovered over 400 years ago by German pastor and astronomer David Fabricius. Its variability was later studied by Dutch and Polish astronomers, who named it Mira, meaning “the Wonderful One.” Mira is a six-million-year-old star that is at the end of its life cycle, with its core collapsing and heating up, causing it to expand into a red giant star.
As Mira expands and contracts, it sheds its outer shell into space, leaving a long tail behind. The visible portion of the tail must have taken tens of thousands of years to form, highlighting the slow and steady pace of change in the universe. Observing stars like Mira and their fluctuations in brightness can be both fun and startling, as they offer a glimpse into the dynamic nature of the cosmos. Mira, with its slow and steady pulsations, serves as a reminder of the beauty and wonder of the universe and the continuous cycle of life and death in the cosmos.
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