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Special Notice #249: FTP site for submitting AGN images requested in Alert Notice 443

August 19, 2011: As announced in AAVSO Alert Notice 443, Dr. Misty Bentz (Georgia State University) requests observations of four active galactic nuclei (AGN) for a study of variability in these sources by the STARE Collaboration. She requests BVRcIc filtered photometry of NGC 6814, NGC 7213, NGC 7469, and NGC 1566 from July 10, 2011, to November 1, 2011. She also requests that observers submit their images for analysis. An FTP site has been created for this purpose.

Alert Notice 445 - Request for monitoring of SS Cygni in support of European VLBI radio observations

August 19, 2011: Following their very successful multiwavelength observing campaign on the dwarf nova SS Cygni in 2010 April (see AAVSO Special Notices #204 and 206 and the related information page), Dr. James Miller-Jones (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia) and colleagues have a follow-up multiwavelength campaign on SS Cyg scheduled.

Buy the AAVSO Centennial History book directly from the AAVSO!

The AAVSO has 100 copies of Advancing Variable Star Astronomy that we are selling at the discounted rate of $80. So please order from the AAVSO store and help support the organization. We have the books in stock for immediate shipment.

But wait, there's more! If you add an order for one of our limited edition Centennial T-Shirts, we will take $15 off your total order at checkout.

Special Notice #248: Radio outburst in V1343 Aquilae

Note: This text was updated from the original to include the most recent observation. -M. Templeton, 2011 August 11

August 11, 2011: The star V1343 Aquilae is reportedly undergoing a radio flaring episode, and optical observations over the next few weeks are encouraged to track the optical behavior.  S.A. Trushkin et al report in ATel #3547 that observations with the RATAN-600 show a large increase in radio fluxes at 4.8, 8.5 and 11.2 GHz beginning around JD 2455777 (2011 August 03) and continuing through the present.

Special Notice #247: Possible Nova in Lupus

Possible Nova in Lupus
August 7, 2011

Nick Brown in vsnet-alert 13560 posts about a possible new nova from his photographic survey:


"The star appears at mag 10.2 photographic, on 2 films taken on August 4.73UT using a 135F2 cannon lens and tmax 400 film.unfiltered. No object is present on film taken on july 5.85UT down to 11.7pg. No previous variable stars are reported at this near position."

The coordinates are: 14 54 20  -55 05 03  J2000

Effects of dust on light-curves of ε Aur type stars (updated)

100728 Update: Dr. Budaj has offered a short description of the paper with a nice illustration, which can be read via the Citizen Sky forums.

The following is an abstract for a paper recently been posted to ArXiv (and accepted for publication in A&A Letters). The paper is based on your AAVSO observations of apsilon Aurigae and acknowledges AAVSO support.

Click here to read the paper.