R Lyrae

R Lyrae, also known as its Flamsteed designation 13 Lyrae, is a 4th magnitude semiregular variable star in the constellation Lyra, approximately 350 light years away from Earth. It is a red giant star of the spectral type M5III, currently at the last stages of evolution. It is much larger and brighter, yet cooler, than the Sun. In the near-infrared J band, it is brighter than the nearby Vega.

R Lyrae is unusual in that it is a red star with a high proper motion, greater than 50 milliarcseconds a year. It is one of the brightest stars at the K band, having an apparent magnitude of &minus;2.08, only 14 stars are brighter.

The variability is not consistent and regular, but periods of 46, 64, 378, and 1,000 days have been reported, with the 46-day period being the strongest.

It is calculated that R Lyrae was a star on the main sequence, similar to Sirius A today. It is now an oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch star, with both hydrogen and helium shells fusing. Due to stellar mass loss, R Lyrae now has a mass of.