The He-shell flash in action: T Ursae Minoris revisited

Department of Experimental Physics and Astronomical Observatory, University of Szeged, Szeged, Dóm tér 9., 6720 Hungary

Corresponding author: K. Szatmáry, k.szatmary@physx.u-szeged.hu

Received: 15 October 2002
Accepted: 7 November 2002

Abstract

We present an updated and improved description of the light curve behaviour of T Ursae Minoris, which is a Mira star with the strongest period change (the present rate is an amazing  days/year corresponding to a relative decrease of about 1% per cycle). Ninety years of visual data were collected from all available databases and the resulting, almost uninterrupted light curve was analysed with the O-C diagram, Fourier analysis and various time-frequency methods. The Choi-Williams and Zhao-Atlas-Marks distributions gave the clearest image of frequency and light curve shape variations. A decrease of the intensity average of the light curve was also found, which is in accordance with a period-luminosity relation for Mira stars. We predict the star will finish its period decrease in the meaningfully near future (c.c. 5 to 30 years) and strongly suggest to closely follow the star's variations (photometric, as well as spectroscopic) during this period.