RR Lyrae Stars (Cambridge Astrophysics) Book

RR Lyrae variable stars are pulsating giant stars that are important to many areas of modern astronomy. This book is a comprehensive account of RR Lyrae stars that traces the story from their initial discovery a century ago, through to their present status and reviews our current understanding of them. It is a unique explanation of the multiple applications of these variable stars for a range of astrophysical problems. The author describes the use of RR Lyrae stars as probes of old stellar populations, both in the Milky Way and other galaxies, and as an outstanding testing ground for stellar evolution and pulsation theories. Dr. Smith stresses the significance of variable stars for our ultimate understanding of the history and scale of the Milky Way and nearer extragalactic systems. For advanced students and researchers of astronomy, this is a definitive account of the modern theories surrounding RR Lyrae stars.