10 Star Training Tutorial
10 Star Training Tutorial
Observing a variable star takes practice. We have designed a training program that begins with stars that are easy to find and observe. Slowly the stars become more challenging as you go down the list. By the time you reach Epsilon Aurigae at the bottom of the list, you’ll be an expert variable star observer contributing real data to professional scientists!
Click here for a PDF version of our 10 Star Training Tutorial. (updated: Sep. 23 with new beta Per predictions) Click here for the Turkish version of the Tutorial. This packet includes instructions and star charts for each of the 10 stars along with a form you can use to record your observations. Print it out and bring it with you. Make extra copies to give to friends, family and anyone else interested. If you would like to hand out a bunch of these at a meeting, contact us and we can print and mail copies to you.
Begin by observing the stars at the top of the list and then move your way down.
Some of these stars can only be seen during certain seasons of the year. If a star is currently “out of season” for you, just skip it and come back to it later when the time is right.
| Star Name | Season | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | alpha Orionis | Fall, Winter | a.k.a. Betelgeuse, a red star in the "arm pit" of Orion |
| 2 | eta Geminorum | Fall, Winter | |
| 3 | gamma Cassiopeia | All Year | Cassiopeia is an easy constellation to find - it looks like a giant "W" written on the sky |
| 4 | beta Persei | Winter | This star has an entire eclipse in one night! See chart in the PDF file for more info. |
| 5 | beta Lyrae | Summer | Very easy to find in the summer – it’s next to the bright star straight overhead! |
| 6 | R Lyrae | Summer | |
| 7 | miu Cephei | All Year | Note the spelling of “miu”. This is intentional, to replace the greek character “mu”. |
| 8 | delta Cephei | All Year | |
| 9 | eta Aquilae | Summer | |
| 10 | epsilon Aurigae | Winter, Spring |
