Portions of this entry contributed by Alfred Gautschy

A variable star also called a type II Cepheid variable which has a period between 1 to 60 days. They periods are related to intrinsic luminosity. W Virginis stars are population II, and are approximately 1.5 magnitudes fainter than type I Cepheid variables. Their masses, however, are less than 1 solar mass, so it is apparent that the W Virginis stars fall into a different stage of stellar evolution than do classical Cepheids.

Cepheid Variable, RR Lyrae Variable, Standard Candle, Variable Star