Beta Lyrae

β Lyrae, known as Sheliak to the ancient Arabs and Tsan Tae to the ancient Chinese, was discovered to be a variable star by John Goodricke in 1784, about two years after his successful explanation of the light variations of Algol. In the more than two centuries since its discovery, β Lyrae has played a game of cat and mouse with astronomers attempting to unlock its secrets. Only slowly have some of those secrets been revealed.