MIRA CETI

also called Omicron Ceti first variable star (apart from novae) to be discovered, lying in the southern constellation Cetus. There is some evidence that ancient Babylonian astronomers noticed its variable character. In a systematic study in 1638, a Dutch astronomer, Phocylides Holwarda, found that the star disappeared and reappeared in a varying cycle of about 330 days. It thus acquired the name Mira (Latin: Miraculous). Its brightness varies from cycle to cycle. In the 1960s a minimum apparent visual magnitude of 8.71 and a maximum of 3.42 were observed; in 1779 the star attained first magnitude. Mira is a binary; the red giant primary has a faint bluish white companion.