The zeta Aurigae stars are the rare but illustrious sub-group of binary stars that undergo the
dramatic phenomenon of chromospheric eclipse. This book provides detailed descriptions of the
ten known systems illustrates them richly with examples of new spectra and places them in the
context of stellar structure and evolution.Comprised of a large cool giant plus a small hot
dwarf these key eclipsing binaries reveal fascinating changes in their spectra very close to
total eclipse when the hot star shines through differing heights of the chromosphere or outer
atmosphere of the giant star. The phenomenon provides astrophysics with the means of analyzing
the outer atmosphere of a giant star and how that material is shed into space. The physics of
these critical events can be explained qualitatively but it is more challenging to extract
hard facts from the observations and tough to model the chromosphere in any detail.The book
offers current thinking on mechanisms for heating a star's chromosphere and on how a star loses
mass and relates this science synergistically to studies of other stars and binaries and to
the increasing relevance of contributions from new techniques in interferometry and
asteroseismology. It also includes a detailed discussion of the enigmatic star epsilon Aurigae
which had recently undergone one of its very infrequent and very baffling eclipses. Though not
a zeta Aurigae system epsilon Aurigae is a true Giant among eclipsing stars.The 7 chapters of
this book written by a group of experts have been carefully edited to form a coherent volume
that offers a thorough overview of the subject to both professional and student.
