Observing Variable Stars

Description

Observing variable stars is one of the major contributions amateur astronomers make to science. There are 36,000 variable stars listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars, so it is clearly impossible for the limited number of professional observatories to target even the majority of them. That's where amateur astronomers come in - thousands of them turning their telescopes to the sky every night. Variable star observing is the most popular of "real science" activities for amateurs, and Gerry Good's book provides everything needed. The first part of the book provides a highly detailed account of the various classes of variable star, with examples, illustrations and physical descriptions. The second section covers practical aspects of observing, everything from preparation and planning, through observing techniques, to data management and reduction. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Observing Variable Stars....Pages 1-19 The Variable Stars....Pages 21-35 Eruptive Variable Stars....Pages 37-55 Pulsating Variable Stars....Pages 57-95 Cataclysmic (Explosive and Novalike) Variables....Pages 97-125 Rotating Variable Stars....Pages 127-138 Close Binary Eclipsing Systems....Pages 139-156 Optically Variable Close Binary Sources of Strong, Variable X-Ray Radiation (X-Ray Sources)....Pages 157-164 A General Approach to Observing Variable Stars....Pages 165-188 VSO Planning....Pages 189-199 VSO Preparations....Pages 201-215 VSO Methods....Pages 217-232 Variable Star Data Management, Reduction and Analysis....Pages 233-251 Variable Star Reporting and Recording Organizations....Pages 253-258 Variable Star Observing and Amateur Astronomers....Pages 259-264 Back Matter....Pages 265-274