SS Cygni

SS Cygni

(sig -nÿ, -nee) The brightest dwarf nova. Normally of 12th magnitude, it rises to maybe 8th magnitude every month or so: its period varies widely from the mean of 51 days; the maxima vary in shape, brightness, and duration. Like other dwarf novae it is a close binary system in which one component is a white dwarf; the other is a normal G5 star. The orbital period is 6.5 hours. SS Cygni is also an intense, soft X-ray source, i.e. an X-ray binary.