ALGOL, in Astronomy

ălˈgŏl, famous variable star in the constellation Perseus; Bayer designation β Persei; 1992 position R.A. 3h07.7m, Dec. +40°55′. Algol's variation in apparent magnitude, from 2.06 to 3.28, is due to the fact that it is an eclipsing binary star, with one component revolving about the other with a period of 2 days, 20 hr, 49 min. Because the plane of revolution is almost parallel to the line of sight, the star dims noticeably when the dimmer component passes in front of, or eclipses, the brighter component, and dims again very slightly when the brighter component eclipses the dimmer one (see eclipse); the primary minimum, when the brighter component is eclipsed, lasts about 10 hr. Algol is of spectral class B8 V and is about 105 light-years from the earth. The name Algol comes from the Arabic Ras al Ghul, which means "demon's head," and the star is sometimes called the Demon Star.

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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Questia Books and Articles on: Algol in Astronomy
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books on: Algol in Astronomy  - 32 results

       More book Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-32 >>  
 
1.
A Dictionary of Astronomy
Book by Ian Ridpath; Oxford University Press, 1997
Subjects: Astronomy--Dictionaries
...600 years, and lie 76 l.y. away. Algol The star Beta Persei, the first eclipsing binary to be discovered. Algol was found to be variable in 1669 by the...determined by J. * Goodricke in 1782-3. Algol varies from magnitude 2.1 to 3.4 in...
2.
Popular Astronomy: Being the New Descriptive Astronomy
Book by Joel Dorman Steele; American Book Company, 1899
Subjects: Astronomy
...183 . Al-deb a-ran, 235 . Alexandria, School of, 18 . Algol, 231 , 253 . Al ma-gest, 18 . Altair, 247 , 275 . Altitude...341 . Asteroids, or Small Planets, 161 . Astrology, 21 . Astronomy, history of, 15 . of the invisible, 251 . poetry of, 11...
3.
Makers of Astronomy
Book by Hector MacPherson; Clarendon Press, 1933
Subjects: Astronomers, Astronomy--History
...Institute of Technology. His interest in astronomy led to his inclusion in two eclipse expeditions...to the important post of Professor of Astronomy at Harvard, and at once entered on his...classification of these objects. The star Algol occupied much of his attention, and...
4.
Sharing the Sky: A Parent's and Teacher's Guide to Astronomy
Book by David H. Levy, Larry A. Lebofsky, Nancy R. Lebofsky; Perseus Publishing, 1997
Subjects: Astronomy--Study And Teaching (Elementary)
...Aerolite, 291 Airy, George, 176 Albireo, 236 Algol, 146 Alpha Centauri, 187 Alphonsus, crater...Aspects of shy, 10 -21 Astrofest, 109 -110 Astronomy magazine, 158 , 169 Astronomy to Go , 111 -112 Atlai scarp, 140 Auriga...
5.
Essays in Astronomy
Book by Sir Robert S. Ball, William Harkness, Sir John Herschel, William Huggins, Marquid de Laplace, Ormsby McKnight Mitchel, Richard Proctor, M. Schiaparelli, Edward Singleton Holden; D. Appleton & Company, 1900
Subjects: Astronomy
...Tauri , 259 ; proper motion of, 279 ; spectrum of, 373 . Algol Persei , 462 ; spectrum of, 429 . "Almagest" of Ptolemy...determining parallax, 197 , 244 . Astronomical publications, 313 . Astronomy, American, 309 ; origin of, 255 ; sidereal, 255 . Astrophysics...
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magazine articles on: Algol in Astronomy  - 3 results

 
 
1.
The Demon Star
Magazine article by Joe Rao; Natural History, Vol. 105, October 1996
Subjects: Astronomy, Stars & galaxies
...Rao For more than a century, the star Algol was known to vary markedly in brightness...in front of the other, the light from Algol appears to fade. Goodricke had identified...seconds, will coincide with three nights. Algol will be at its minimum brightness on the...
2.
Seeing Doubles
Magazine article by Richard Panek; Natural History, Vol. 110, October 2001
Subjects: Herschel, William (1738-1822), Optics, Stars & galaxies
...image in the history of optical astronomy. As should be apparent by now...periodic variation in the star Algol (not to be confused with Mizars...binaries are sometimes called Algol-type variable stars. This...Meanwhile, the eclipsing binary Algol will be rising in the northeast...
3.
Naming Rights
Magazine article by Neil Degrasse Tyson; Natural History, Vol. 112, February 2003
Subjects: Centuries, History, Innovations
...But there are unusual things, too-astronomy Monopoly, Saturn-shaped salt-and...became as much works of art as tools of astronomy. An astrolabe projects the domed heavens...constellation Aquila; and the variable star Algol (Al-Ghul, "the demon"), the second...


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newspaper articles on: Algol in Astronomy  - 1 result

 
 
1.
The Stargazer Who Eclipsed the Experts with Discovery
Newspaper article; The Daily Mail (London, England), October 21, 2010
Subjects: Astronomy--Discovery and exploration
...often. David Moore, the chairman of Astronomy Ireland, said this is the latest discovery to put Ireland on the astronomy map. He said: Yet again, Irish amateurs...is similar in nature to one known as Algol, or the Demon Star, which is one...


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encyclopedia articles on: Algol in Astronomy  - 2 results

 
 
1.
Algol , in Astronomy
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
ALGOL , in astronomy al gol, famous variable star in the constellation...component is eclipsed, lasts about 10 hr. Algol is of spectral class B8 V and is about 105 light-years from the earth. The name Algol comes from the Arabic Ras al Ghul, which...
2.
Perseus , in Astronomy
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
PERSEUS , in astronomy in astronomy, northern constellation lying E of Cassiopeia and N of Taurus. It contains the bright star Mirfak (Alpha Persei) and Algol (Beta Persei), a visible variable star of the type known as...


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