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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 August 2015
The present state of knowledge of the red variables in the halo and globular clusters is summarized. Techniques for their discovery are described. The correlations between their properties and those of the globular clusters to which they belong are discussed. The evolutionary state of the variables is considered and stars are assigned tentatively to the first or second ascent of the giant branch or to the excursions from the asymptotic giant branch resulting from instabilities in the He-burning shell.
The assumption that a recognizable type of variable represents a unique type of star leads to the conclusions that the bulk of the stars in the central bulge of the Galaxy are more metal-rich than 47 Tuc and that the Large Magellanic Cloud contains an old, moderately metal-deficient population similar to that represented by clusters such as 47 Tuc in the Galaxy while the Small Magellanic Cloud does not.