R Coronae Borealis

R Coronae Borealis stars (or R CrB stars) are highly evolved stars whose light undergoes dramatic dimming events caused by dust around the star.  In mid-2007, the class prototype entered one of these dimming events, and has yet to return to its normal brightness.  Astronomers use the light curves of R CrB and other stars like it to better understand what happens to stars near the ends of their lives.  Although R CrB is very faint in all but the largest telescopes, it is visible in binoculars when it is near maximum brightness.

R CrB remains in its extended faint state as of March 2012.  Although it had a short recovery to V=12.0 in mid-2011, it faded to V=14.0 again within a few months.  It appears to be making another recovery right now, and it remains to be seen whether it will return to its normal state (around V=6.0) this year.  It's a great target for visual and CCD observers alike, so please keep it under observation!