ABSTRACT
THESIS: Spectroscopic Analysis of Dwarf Nova SS Cygni
STUDENT: Elixia M. Benson-Avillan
DEGREE: Master of Science
COLLEGE: Science and Humanities
DATE: May, 2010
PAGES: 55
Dwarf novae are a type of cataclysmic variable in which one of the components is
a white dwarf. Their outbursts can range in brightness from two to five magnitudes at
intervals that can vary from days to decades. The purpose of this study is to analyze the
outburst of SS Cygni on the nights of June 18-22, 1987. Using an Interactive Reduction
Software (IRS) package and a Gaussian fit program, the emission and absorption line
strengths on the rise to outburst showed an increase in the flux as well as various other
details supported by theory.