Kevin Krisciunas and Edward Francis Guinan discovered that the star is a variable star in 1990.[17]
It is a well-studied Gamma Doradus variable,[5] and was one of the first stars to be so-classified.[18] This star type varies in luminosity due to non-radial pulsations.[18] Its apparent magnitude varies from 4.93 to 5.03 over a period of 1.25804 days.[2] For that reason it was given the variable star designationV398 Aurigae in 1995.[19][2]
9 Aurigae is a multiple star system. The naked-eye component A is a single-lined spectroscopic binary. Only the signature of an F-type main sequence star can be seen in the spectrum, but the periodic doppler shift of the absorption lines demonstrates that there is a hidden companion in a 391.7-day orbit. The gravitational interaction of the two bodies produces variations in their respective motions, which is what creates the doppler shift.[9]
Four other companions to 9 Aurigae are listed in multiple star catalogs.[20][21] The closest companion is a 12th-magnitude red dwarf5″ away.[5]90″ away is component C, a 9th-magnitude star with a spectral class of K5Ve,[22] which may also be a spectroscopic binary.[10] Further-separated still is a 14th-magnitude star, component D, proposed to be a more distant red giant,[23] although Gaia astrometry places it at a similar distance and with a similar proper motion.[24] The most widely-separated companion is component E, a distant unrelated star.[23][25]
^ abcSamus, N. N.; Durlevich, O. V.; et al. (2009). "VizieR Online Data Catalog: General Catalogue of Variable Stars (Samus+ 2007-2013)". VizieR On-line Data Catalog: B/GCVS. Originally Published in: 2009yCat....102025S. 1. Bibcode:2009yCat....102025S.
^Gray, R. O.; Corbally, C. J.; Garrison, R. F.; McFadden, M. T.; Bubar, E. J.; McGahee, C. E.; O'Donoghue, A. A.; Knox, E. R. (2006). "Contributions to the Nearby Stars (NStars) Project: Spectroscopy of Stars Earlier than M0 within 40 pc--The Southern Sample". The Astronomical Journal. 132 (1): 161–170. arXiv:astro-ph/0603770. Bibcode:2006AJ....132..161G. doi:10.1086/504637. S2CID119476992.
^Dommanget, J.; Nys, O. (1994). "Catalogue des composantes d'etoiles doubles et multiples (CCDM) premiere edition - Catalogue of the components of double and multiple stars (CCDM) first edition". Com. De l'Observ. Royal de Belgique. 115: 1. Bibcode:1994CoORB.115....1D.
^Alonso-Floriano, F. J.; Morales, J. C.; Caballero, J. A.; Montes, D.; Klutsch, A.; Mundt, R.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; Ribas, I.; Reiners, Ansgar; Amado, P. J.; Quirrenbach, A.; Jeffers, S. V. (2015). "CARMENES input catalogue of M dwarfs". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 577: A128. arXiv:1502.07580. Bibcode:2015A&A...577A.128A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201525803. S2CID53135130.