DM Lyrae

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DM Lyrae A/B
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Lyra
Right ascension 18h 58m 44.43s
Declination +30° 15′ 33.0″
Apparent magnitude (V) +18 (quiet), +13.6 (burst)
Characteristics
Spectral type  ? / White dwarf
U-B color index  ?
B-V color index  ?
Variable type SU UMa
Other designations
DM Lyr, AN 250.1929, 1RXS J185845.1+301548, AAVSO 1854+30

DM Lyrae (DM Lyr for short) is a dwarf nova in the constellation Lyra. This binary system is composed of a primary star of unknown type, and a white dwarf companion. It erupted in 1928 and 1996 and reached about magnitude 13. Due to its position, coverage of the star is difficult during the winter months, and it is quite possible that several outbursts have been missed.

The July 1996 outburst—unlike the others—proved to be a long, bright one, which caused several observers to wonder if it could possibly be a supermaximum which is indicative of a SU Ursae Majoris star. Observers at Kyoto University carried out V band CCD photometry with the 60cm reflector and detected superhumps of 0.1 mag amplitude, thus reclassifying DM Lyrae as a SU UMa star. Their preliminary period analysis gave 0.066 ± 0.002 days as the best estimated superhump period.

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