Been quiet in here

Hi Moezilla, I agree, it has been quiet. I will not get the see Eps Aur for another 3-4 weeks due to our southern latitude. We are in our cloudy, rainy season here in Florida. The heat has been unbearable and mosquitoes drive me crazy. I haven't heard from many of the 20/20 Vision Team folks as to how their observing is going. I will be at the Citizen Sky conference in San Francisco. Hopefully some 20/20 people will be there. I am giving a short PowerPoint on the team. Thanks and good observing. By the way, I know that Rebecca and Aaron have been super busy the last few weeks with getting the new AAVSO web page up and running. It looks great so far. Good job Aaron and Rebecca and others. Chris Stephan Robert Clyde Observatory Sebring, Florida USA

Yea, their hard work is easily seen with a visit to the AAVSOsite, they did an AWESOMEjob!! Come on 20/20 team, where are you guys (and girls)at? Since we've all had a head start already by working on the 10 star program, why not join me in taking it a step further and adding some more observations? Anyone want to join me in completing the Astronomy League's Variable Star Observing Club? Be nice to see more people , especially us newbies doing some more observations and learning more about visual observing and this club is a good motivator to do so! Plus you will get a nice pin and certificate suitable for framing. :) I'm excited about the talk of the AAVSOhaving observing certifications too, this AstroLeague club I think would be a good start in getting better aquainted with observing and experienced. I'm also in the beginning stages of a nefarious plot to figure out how I can build myself an imaging setup, so when my busy schedule stops me from visual observing I can still try to get some imaging in for photometry. That will be well into the future though as it's not cheap but I'm going to try to keep it as inexpensive as possible and try to figure out a way to automate (script) anything possible that Ican. I know, it's a big leap but not being able to get out and observe as much as I'd like is frustrating. It's like I'm in fits and starts getting going on it but want to do more. How's everyone else coming along on the 10 star program and possibly even more observing outside the 10 star. Speak up 20/20 team!:) Maurice

It has been quite on the website as of late. Dr. Bob and I have been quite busy. We're observing at our Mt. Evans observatory (at 14,128 ft, just West of Denver on Mt. Evans, CO). There we've been doing J and H-band photometry during the daytime. Calibration has proven difficult as you can probably imagine with that big infrared source up in the sky. Otherwise we have an observing run at CHARA in two weeks followed by some time at IRTF one day after we get back from Mt. Wilson. We also just sent in a proposal for some observing time on SOFIAusing the GREATspectrometer. I've been working on reducing historical photometric data and writing thesis chapters... I think I'm suppose to be reading papers too, but time is quite scarse during the summer. The DSLRteam has had a lot of activity as of late. We've had several discussions about calibration and a new spreadsheet that accounts for air mass. Using the new sheet we've found eps Aur is coming in around 3.66 mag in V as of today. I think once eps gets back into observable zones the activity on the webiste will pick up, until then it's 4:00AM observing for most people! Clear, dark skys, Brian

Wow Brian, that's certainly a full schedule! Itried playing around with the DLSRstuff, very briefly but had issues with not seeing anything on the live view on my Digital Rebel. I'll have to take it out and try it again, Idid take it out for a brief shot at imaging with my scope a couple weeks ago to shoot the moon very briefly. Ihad to call it a night pretty quick though, it was still in the 90's here and Iwas dripping sweat. lol

Consider this the calm before the storm. We're preparing for the next workshop in about a month - 3 days of data analysis training. At that workshop CS staff is going to spend an extra day planning our activities for the next year - which will focus heavily on teams and new projects. The first year was all about building things and data collection. Now we get into the really good stuff - the stuff that separates CS from most other citizen science projects. So stay tuned. Personally, I'm working like crazy on my dissertation, which is due in early October. Rebecca has been working hard preparing the Citizen Sky end-of-year reports for the NSF.She's also been singing in a band and giving talks to summer camps about science. We're happy to say that thanks to her work, and the activity of all of you, that CS was noted as a project of special interest to the NSF. Which means they consider this in the upper tier of projects last year. So much so that they will include us as an exemplary example in their annual report to congress. If anyone is interested, check out the new AAVSO web site. It was launched last week and that also took up most of Rebecca and I's time the last couple of weeks. You'll notice a lot of influence from the CS web site. :) And I'm sorry to say that our webmaster, Kate Davis, has left us for a job that will challenge her talents even more and help her grow as a professional. However, she's been helping us out of her own spare time the last couple of months. So we're still part of a family. It's just an extended family now. :) Expect August to be a little more active than July, but not by much. Things will ramp up like crazy in September.

Yes, the workshop sounds like it will be awesome and I'm looking forward to the coverage it's given here on the site. The data analysis will be very interesting for everyone from the experienced observer/analyst to us new folk who are sitting here bright eyed but most of it goes over our heads right now. lol It's no shock the NSFhas really picked up on this site, this is a model of what other citizen scientist projects can and should be like. It's informative and inspirational to see what people are doing here, it cuts down a lot on the intimidation factor for those without a real science background to get involved. The new AAVSOwebsite is excellent, the layout is SOmuch better than the older one. Ijoined the AAVSOlast year due to this site and some exposure Igot with Photometrica and always felt the site was a little troublesome to navigate. Now the site is laid out so easy, even a caveman can do it. We appreciate all you guys do for this site and look forward to the next couple of months!

I have adapted the 10 star chart to my needs but it is not finished. I am including it here so all can help me make it more perfect. I am not sure of some of the data.

*Chart should also include the duration of the eclipse for all the stars

I have updated the 10 star chart to my needs because it did not answer the questions that surfaced as I started from zero on this quest to understand STARS.

When I went out under the night sky to observe a variable star I wanted to know:

1. 1. The name of the star

2. 2. Where the star is located

3. 3 How often it changes

4. 4 An approximation of the variance in magnitude to give me a better idea of what to expect

5. 5 How long the minimum lasts

6. 6 Why the star varies I hope you can help me finish it and maybe it will be of use to somone. Lori

Lori, We're both in the same boat as far as learning goes but here's what I understand already, believe it or not you already know a lot of the information. The name of the star is exactly as you have it listed. The 10 star program lists the star names as they are, well at least the common names. Alpha Ori for example (first star in the list)is named exactly that, Alpha Orionis. It's also known by other names as most stars are, they have various designations depending on the star catalog it's from. It's also called Betelgeuse and has an AAVSOID of 000-BBK-383. For any star that is a variable, you can easily access all the pertinent information you may need by searching the VSXor Variable Star Index through the AAVSOwebsite. It's right there on the fron page or you can go directly there through this link: www.aavso.org/vsx/index.phpand click on 'search'. Just enter the star name from the 10 star program and it will pull up all the information you need, such as what type of variable it is, other name designations, spectral type (type of star it is), location, it's period and variance. Also, you can find out that information from the finder charts as well. You can drill down a little deeper than the basic 10 star charts here from Citizen Sky and create binocular or telescope charts for each star using the VSP or Variable Star Plotter. The 10 star manual has much of this information already for us, giving us the name and location (the contellation it is located in) and it's period along with the range of variance in brightness. Depending on whether it is a Long Period Variable (LPV)or shorter period, you can also look up further information right from the AAVSOwebsite. Here are some links that may assist you further in gathering information and understanding about variables from the AAVSOwebsite. http://www.aavso.org/variables-what-are-they-and-why-observe-them http://www.aavso.org/variable-stars-and-stories-they-tell http://www.aavso.org/types-variables If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to become a member of the AAVSO. Not only getting your observing initials, which you already have to make observations but in supporting this outstanding organization. There's SOmuch to learn from the site and you and Iare in the same boat, just beginning our journey in learning about these wonderful stars. When you join, you will get a copy of the manual for observation of variable stars. Ibelieve they are in the process of rewriting the manual for reprint now, I could be wrong but I believe that is what's going on with it right now. In the meantime, you can download a copy of the manual for free at this link: http://www.aavso.org/publications/manual/manual.pdf This manual goes into great detail on the different types of variables and why they vary in brightness. The Astronomical League also has a publication that I just received the other day called Observe and Understand Variable Stars and can be purchased at this link: http://www.astroleague.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=8for $18 US. Hope this helps!! Maurice

Hello Maurice, thankyou for your long letter. I think I did not express myself properly. I just wanted to make a chart that would make it easier for a beginner. I have known Betelgeuse (for example) since I was a child, and the constellation of Orion and most of the important stars and constellations. I know I can get the info with the star index to get its info and I have downloaded the Manual but have not read it all yet. The thing is that I found the 10 star chart too simple. In my opinion it would be better if it included the info on mag. variance, period and type so that a person like me would have that at hand and not have to run to the computer all the time. Of course it is important to have access to all of the detailed information and I am very grateful for the existence of all the available web sites. I will have to join and support them as you say.The 10 star manual has alot of the information but not all. It does not say how long each minimum lasts. It misses info on many stars and that is why (for my own neeeds) I found it necesary to add the missing information. I am using binocular 10 x 50 and my eyes. I stll do not have a good telescope. I do have a galileoscope with which I observe jupiter and saturn. I really should write a letter to introduce myself. I am going to translate a letter I wrote for the Agrupación Astronómica de Valverde del Camino. Here is the link:cygnusvalverde.blogspot.com/2010/04/el-pilar-de-lori.html I am having alot of problems deciding on the mag of beta Lyrae. The comparison stars on the chart are so far away. I have submitted my observations but it seems to be making some radical changes. Maybe there was too much sea mist the other night. My ratings for the last 4 nights were: Thurs-34, Fri- 4.0, Sat- 4.1 and then Sun a wierd 3.4 I dont know why it got bright so fast. I was expecting it to go down to 4.4 over a period of 13 days. On the other stars I think I am ok but what is going on with beta Lyrae? Lori

I just did the translation:

I was born in Canada in the province of Alberta but I have lived almost half of my life in Andalucia in the south of Spain. I came to Spain in 1987 with a Rotary Scholarship to Study flamenco guitar with Mario Escudero and Manuel Cera. At the same time I finished my classical guitar studies at the Superior Conservatory of Music in Seville and I now work as a guitar professor at the conservatory of Isla Cristina in the province of Huelva.

My love for astronomy began as a child. When I was 10 years old I bought a book through my school called “Know the Stars” by H. A. Rey. It was a wonderful book available through a magazine aimed at fostering reading skills in school children. The book, which I still have, taught me the basics on stars and the most important constellations. When I was 12, I took an astronomy course at the planetarium of Calgary as a member of the girl scouts which helped to strengthen my basic knowledge.

In Canada I always watched the incredible lights of the aurora borealis and all my life I have been careful not to miss the eclipses and meteor showers but I never studied in depth and conformed with the little I knew until the summer of 2009. It was when I was helping my son study for a Science exam that I discovered something that totally changed the way I understood our universe.

I realized that until then I had not understood the structure and the immensity of our galaxy nor that there hundreds of billions of galaxies in our universe. It is….it is just mind boggling and has left me with a thirst to learn everything I can in the time I have left on this earth. It was like an awakening that has changed how I feel in relation to everything. I no longer take things for granted. I now look at the sun and feel it as the star it is and I am fascinated by its relation with the earth and its solar system and everything beyond.

How small we are!!

Hi, Here in England we haven't really had true 'astronomical' darkness for a few weeks (too far north). Also, epsilon Aurigae is only a few degrees above our northern horizon when the sky is darkest. However, I have continued making a few estimates of eps Aur during the summer, but have had to resort to using binoculars (7x50) to pull it out of the sky. It will be interesting to see how changing from naked eye to binoculars affects the light curve! [ I have added a note regarding using binoculars to my submitted observations, and hope I don't get drummed out of the Mark I Eyeball Team :-) ]. Regards, David Conner.

The more verbose information you are looking for wouldn't be a bad idea at all, kind of like an 'intermediate' chart as opposed to the basic chart that was originally developed. The reason the 10 star program charts is laid out simple is to no inundate a new observer with too much information that would actually intimidate and scare away someone with little to no experience. Just think back to when you first opened up and printed the 10 star program, it was a little 'busy' to look at the first couple of times Ibet. Now that we're familiar with it, you can notice it's not as busy as you first thought. lol If you're using 10x50 binoculars, are you using the 10 star charts or ones from the AAVSOVSP? The VSPones give you all the information you're looking for I think, minus some extra background information you might want. The charts all have the mag variance, period of variance, type of variable and spectral information as well as many more comp stars, not to mention the coordinates of the star in the sky. Iknow what you mean about having issues seeing. It's been HOT here the past few days, was 106 degrees here today and tonight the air is hazy and rather bright, even without a moon. Ijust did 6 observations and found myself struggling to get dark adapted tonight and see the comp stars more than Inormally do. Even after being outside in the dark for 30 minutes I had to struggle to pick up comp stars in some areas of the sky. Averted vision came in handy tonight, I was picking up maybe mag 4.5and that was pushing it.

Very cool Lori, thanks for sharing that with us! Iknow how you feel, sometimes when Ierally think about things up there Ifeel like we're so small and insignificant in the big scheme of the universe. lol

Have you been using binocular charts for your observations or just the 10 star charts David?Eps Aurigae is not really visible by me until after 2AM, Icompletely missed out on it the other night when I was out observing until very late. At that point though Iwas spending some time imaging Jupiter, as I'd done some variables earlier in the night. I'm still trying to get the hang of observing variables with the telescope, geting the charts and fields to line up has been sometimes very easy and other times very frustrating but progress is made a little at a time. Keep at it David, the teams are doing good. Anyone else from the 20/20 Team getting their observations in, if so then let's hear about your experiences. :) Maurice

Hi Moezilla, I've continued using the 10 star chart (stars '32' and '38') in order to reduce the number of variables (pun not intended) affecting my observations. The biggest problem is possibly the fact that I see 38 (zeta Aur) as red in binoculars, due to it spectral class (K4) and brightness in binoculars. With the naked eye all three stars are white. David.

If you are observing a red star, try defocusing your binoculars slightly to alleviate the eye being excited by the red color of the star. You'll notice an immediate change in the brightness of the color when you do so and it will make estimating the brightness a bit easier. Play around with it, focus in and out, from out to in and you'll see for yourself. I'm still learning how to do it effectively myself. Hope that helps! Maurice

Lori,

What you observed in beta Lyrae is prefectly okay.

When an eclipse is over in an eclipsing binary, the brightness will rise rather quickly, so don't get biased by what you think the star should be doing, just trust what you see ;) And regarding the info on the charts, I'd like to know what everybody thinks about this issue. I am currently working on the sequences and I agree with you that more info, like in the "normal"AAVSO charts would be useful.

Remember whatJoan always says:we don't need to have exactly the same tutorial or charts as the Northern people have. If we all want more data on the charts, let's go for it. What do you think?

Best wishes,

Sebastian.

(Edited PS):When I replied to this post I thought I was on the Southern Gems team. We are working out the charts for our Southern stars tutorial.

This shows how I get lost in this forum most of the times!!!Hoewever, my comments on beta Lyrae are strill valid!

Hi there, I must apologize for not being in touch. I must explain to you that I do have the best of intentions but my personal situation sort of gets in the way at times. I have been packing in case I get transfered to a different town with my job. I am a single mother of two so that also keeps me very busy. I probably wont be able to reach the goal with you but I will be around to keep learning and discovering at a slower pace when things settle down for me once again. Lori

No need to apologize, we do what we can when we can. I'm just like you with regards to time limitations, as are most of us Ithink. When we can get out to observe we do, the main thing is to record our obs and submit them. Do things at the pace that suits you best, we're all in this to learn together!:)

Just wanted to post an update asking if anyone else has been getting work done on the Astronomical League's Variable Star Club? I've pretty much got most of the objectives completed except for monitoring one Mira through a cycle. That'll be an ongoing thing for a while still but hope to have it all completed within a few months. Anyone else have an update?