大陵五变星或大陵五型双星是以英仙座β星（中国星名为大陵五）为代表的一种食变星。

当温度较低的恒星由较热的恒星前方经过时，会屏蔽后方恒星部份或全部的光，这是这对联星光度的主极小，所以由地球观察到的联星亮度会下降；但稍后，当较热的恒星经过过较冷恒星前方时，也会造成光度的下降，称为第二极小或次极小。

由周期，或两次主极小的时间间隔，是非常规律的，可以测量出联星的公转周期，这个时间就是两颗星在轨道上互相环绕一周的时间。大部分的大陵五型变星是相当接近的双星，它们的周期都不长，通常都在几天之内。以知周期最短的是玉夫座VZ (0.145天)，最长的则是御夫座ε，长达9892天（27年）。

Algol variables or Algol-type binaries are a class of eclipsing binary stars that are related to the prototype member of this class, β Persei (Beta Persei, Algol) from an evolutionary point of view. An Algol binary is a semidetached binary system where the primary component is an early type, main sequence star that does not fill its Roche lobe, while the cooler, fainter, larger, less massive secondary component lies above the main sequence in a Hertzsprung–Russell diagram and fills the Roche lobe. Early in its history, the secondary star would have been more massive, evolving first to overfill its Roche lobe. After rapid mass exchange, the lobe-filling star became less massive than its companion.