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What is a variable star?

Answer:
A variable star (or pulsating star) is a star that an earth observer sees as changing in luminosity over time. This variation in brightness may be something the star is "doing itself" because of changes in its nucleosynthetic processes, or it may be due to the passage of dust clouds or the like between the star and the observer. Wikipedia has more information, and you'll find a link to their post below.
First answer by Quirkyquantummechanic. Last edit by Quirkyquantummechanic. Contributor trust: 3700 [recommend contributor recommended]. Question popularity: 3 [recommend question].

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