The onset of photometric variability in red giant stars.

The onset of variability in red giant stars is studied from the data collected by the `Long-Term Photometry of Variables' project which operates at ESO (La Silla) since 1982. The differential nature of the observations combined with a multi-night reduction algorithm enables to study the variability of over 50 red giants with an accuracy of the order of 2 to 3 millimagnitudes on time scales ranging from days to years. All red giants with spectral types late G to early K (i.e. b-y~0.6-0.8) are stable at the level Ï _y_