Top Variable Stars...

Folks,

I'm doing a small project and I would like to find out people's favourite (if any) of Variable Stars 'out there'.

You can reply on this string.

And due to the nature of it, I guess its going to be a short one!



Seanie.

My favourite has to be Algol.

The fact that it is bright and high up in the sky from our latitude during the winter months, it makes it an exciting one to follow.


Michael

the Sun? :twisted:

ok, old Sol only fluctuates a tiny amount but, hey, it counts!

Seriously though Sean, I think Mira Ceti . . . it's more the delicious story associated with David Fabricus, who announced it's periodicity. He was a pastor in a small village and one Sunday proclaimed from the pulpit that he would reveal, the following week, the identity of the thief who had stolen a goose belonging to him. Fabricus was found murdered a few days later, presumably by the thief who did not want himself to be so publicly shamed.

and who said astronomy wasn't dangerous. Last night, around 1am, a van pulled up at the forest car park I was observing near and someone got out, shone a HUGE and BRILLIANT flashlight into the field beside where I was observing, and then drove off two minutes later -- were they looking for somewhere dump a body/old washing machine/hunting lonely astronomers??? They didn't even see me set up down the forest track!

cheerio,

John

and who said astronomy wasn't dangerous. Last night, around 1am, a van pulled up at the forest car park I was observing near and someone got out, shone a HUGE and BRILLIANT flashlight into the field beside where I was observing, and then drove off two minutes later - hunting lonely astronomers??? They didn't even see me set up down the forest track!

Yeah, the feckers owe me a refund! Want a job done properly ...

Back on topic though, the only good variable star is a dead variable star! I don't think we really have the climate for variable star observing here, and apart from looking at Algol a couple of times, I haven't really bothered.

Ah but Double Stars! Now thers's something worth looking at!

Guys, " I don't think we really have the climate for variable star observing here"

That's just not true!!, I regularly observe many variable stars, and submit my observations to AAVSO - www.aavso.org , they can be viewed at ANY time of year, you can easily look for a recurrent nova/nova itself, mira stars, unusual stars, supernova candidates, e.g rho cassiopeia is visible all year long!, currently at mag 4.5 or so, what do YOU think? check out the website, it's the world's premium site for variable star observing!

Check out V Aquila tonight, get a chart from aavso and observe, it's a beautiful red star that varies, look at RS Ophiuchi, a recurrent nova that can blow from magnitude 12 to 4! at anytime, and T Corona Borealis, the BLAZE STAR, it went from magnitude 10 to 2! in the year's 1866 & 1946, when is it gonna go next? We all have a friendly rivalary to see who see's it 1st! It's 1 of a very few subjects that YOU can contribute to.

There are 1000's of stars that are variable, but yeah, Algol is cool. Why don't you give it a try!
Keith..

OK, perhaps i should calrify my comments re. Algol.
My reference to Algol as "exciting" was actually made in jest.
I personally find variable star observing about as exciting as sitting through a double episode of Eastenders...ie. so painfully boring that I'm liable to crawl up and die at any moment. Even writing about it now can cause to doze off...zzzzz
My comments re Algol were meant as a private joke to Seanie re. some recent correspondence we exchanged re. variable stars.

However, having said that, you do come across Keith as someone who does genuinely find this area of astronomy interesting. As a result, next time I'm outdoors I MIGHT, just might, consider looking at one or two, providing I don't fall asleep that is!

Michael