UV Ceti
Not far from
Tau Ceti is the prototype star for a class of red dwarf stars that can
dramatically brighten in a very short period of time. This is UV Ceti. These
are sometimes referred to as Flare Stars.
These are red
dwarf stars with a mass of only a few tenths of that of the Sun. They are much
cooler and dimmer than the Sun. Due to them being very faint they are not
easily found and most are seen within 50 or so light years from the Sun.
UV Ceti is
about 8.4 light years distant and normally is of magnitude 12 however it has been known to flare up
in brightness to magnitude 6.8 in around 20 seconds before fading away
again.
It is
thought that this brightening could be caused by massive flares on these stars.
These flares are totally unpredictable and at most will only last for a few
minutes. If you are looking in near Tau Ceti through binoculars and suddenly a
star appears you could be watching a flare from UV Ceti.
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