It is classified as a dwarf nova, meaning that it undergoes frequent and regular brightness outbursts - every 7 or 8 weeks in the case of this much-observed example.
SX Leonis Minoris is a dwarf nova of the SU Ursae Majoris type that was identified in 1994.
U Geminorum (U Gem), in the constellation Gemini, is an archetypal example of a dwarf nova.
There are three types of dwarf nova:
Dai & Qian (2009) invoke the presence of a third object to explain orbital period variations observed in the dwarf nova.
DM Lyrae (DM Lyr for short) is a dwarf nova in the constellation Lyra.
It is believed to be similar to a dwarf nova like the star U Geminorum, but little is known.
A dwarf nova has also been observed in this cluster.
Marino jointly discovered the phenomenon of the super-outbursts by dwarf nova (SU Ursae Majoris stars).
The outbursts of a dwarf nova are caused when matter from a ring-like accretion disk becomes unstable.