News and Announcements
| 04 October | AAVSO Newsletter, October 2013 is published |
AAVSO Newsletter 58, October 2013, is now published: |
| 01 October | Special Notice #372: Probable new red variable IRAS 17378-3411 = PNV J17411305-3413235 |
October 1, 2013: Koichi Nishiyama (Kurume, Japan) and Fujio Kabashima (Miyaki, Japan) report their discovery of a possible nova - which now appears to be a red variable - in Sco at unfiltered magnitude 11.1 on unfiltered CCD images taken 2013 Sep. 30.44605 UT. They confirmed their discovery on images taken around 2013 Sep 30.4621 UT. Nothing was seen down to magnitude 13.5 and 13.7 on images taken 2013 Jul 11.539 UT and 12.571 UT, respectively, or on DSS or USNO-B1.0 images. A check for minor planets was carried out. |
| 27 September | VStar User Manual |
The VStar User Manual is now available for download! Thanks to a Herculean effort by VStar's creator David Benn along with some invaluable editorial and annotational help from Kristine Larsen, this long-anticipated publication has become a reality. To get your copy, please visit the VStar Overview page and click on the yellow button marked "Download VStar User Manual". You will be glad you did! |
| 24 September | Special Notice #371: BB Ari observations particularly crucial now |
September 24, 2013: HST/COS is scheduled to observe the SU UMa-type variable BB Ari: |
| 17 September | New membership classifications, benefits and dues |
There have been some changes in membership classifications, benefits and dues for the 2014 membership year. Regular Annual dues will now be $75.00. The annual Sustaining membership rate will be raised to $150.00. If you are an educator, student, have a limited income or you are on a pension, your dues will be $37.50 per year. |
| 16 September | Solar Bulletin - Volume 69, Number 8 |
The August 2013 Solar Bulletin is now available. Please visit the Solar Bulletin web page to download your copy: http://www.aavso.org/solar-bulletin |
| 11 September | Special Notice #370: GZ Cet observations crucial now |
September 11, 2013: HST/COS is scheduled to observe the WZ Sge-like SU UMa variable GZ Cet (SDSS J013701.06-091234.9) the day after tomorrow. Observations are scheduled for: |
| 09 September | New eJAAVSO preprint: Amplitude variations in pulsating red giants |
ejaavso 243: "Amplitude Variations in Pulsating Red Giants" by J. R. Percy, R. Abachi |
| 09 September | New eJAAVSO preprint: V784 Oph: RR Lyr Star with multiple Blazhko modulations |
ejaavso 242: "V784 Ophiuchi: an RR Lyrae Star with Multiple Blazhko Modulationsi" by P. de Ponthiere, F.-J. Hambsch, T. Krajci, K. Menzies |
| 05 September | Special Notice #369: GZ Cet (SDSS J013701.06-091234.9) HST/COS obs next week |
September 5, 2013: HST/COS is scheduled to observe the WZ Sge-like SU UMa variable GZ Cet (SDSS J013701.06-091234.9) next week. Observations are scheduled for: |
| 05 September | New eJAAVSO preprint: Discovery of Pulsating Components in Southern Eclipsing Binary Systems |
ejaavso 241: "Discovery of Pulsating Components in the Southern Eclipsing Binary Systems AW Velorum, HM Puppis, and TT Horologii" by D. J. W. Moriarty, T. Bohlsen, B. Heathcote, T. Richards, M. Streamer |
| 30 August | Alert Notice 490: Optical monitoring of T Ori requested |
August 30, 2013: Dr. William Herbst (Wesleyan University) and Rachel Pedersen (Bates College) have requested AAVSO assistance in monitoring the Orion variable T Ori in support of spectroscopy they will be obtaining during September 2013. AAVSO nightly coverage (visual or electronic, not time series) of this star is crucial throughout the month of September. |
| 20 August | What's in store for Nova Del 2013? |
No one knows what Nova Del 2013 will do next, but there are some tantalizing possibilities.
The current AAVSO light curve for Nova Del 2013 So far it appears Nova Del 2013 is a 'slow nova', type NB in VSX. By definition, it takes 150 days or more for a slow nova to fade by 3 magnitudes. Sometimes "or more" can mean a lot of other exciting goings on. |
| 19 August | Nova Del 2013 |
Below is a listing of the various AAVSO publications, posts, and articles on the new bright nova in Delphinus. Use the links on the right side of the page to find out more about the AAVSO and how you can get in on the action. Clear skies!
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| 16 August | AAVSO Alert Notice 489: Nova Delphini 2013 = PNV J20233073+2046041 |
August 16, 2013 |
| 16 August | Binocular Sequence and Charts Now Available for Nova Del 2013 |
Due to the very bright eruption of Nova Del 2013, we have created a binocular sequence specifically for this nova that can be plotted using the Binocular Chart option on the chart plotter (VSP). For best results specify a field of view of 900 arc minutes (15 degrees) and a limiting magnitude of 7 and click on the Binocular Chart option. This will produce an uncluttered chart with a sequence from 6.9 - 3.5V for use with binoculars. Or you may simply download the chart attached to this page. |
| 13 August | Solar Bulletin - Volume 69, Number 7 |
The July 2013 Solar Bulletin is now available. |
| 12 August | New eJAAVSO preprint: Data mining the Ogle-II I-band database... |
ej240: "Data Mining the Ogle-II I-band Database for Eclipsing Binary Stars" by Marco Ciocca |
| 05 August | AAVSO Professional Survey for 2013 |
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| 01 August | Alert Notice 488: Observations of AA Tau requested to schedule XMM-Newton |
August 1, 2013: Dr. Hans Moritz Guenther (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) has requested nightly observations of the classical T Tauri star AA Tau in order to schedule x-ray observations with XMM-Newton that have been planned for between 2013 August 15 and September 15. |
| 01 August | Search for New AAVSO Director Underway! |
From: Kevin B. Marvel, AAVSO Director Search Committee Chair and Executive Director, American Astronomical Society |
| 26 July | Special Notice #368: Bright transient in M74 - PSN J01364816+1545310 |
July 26, 2013: Patrick Schmeer (SPK, Bischmischeim, Germany) reports via baavss-alert and vsnet-alert that a bright (12.4 U) transient, discovered in M74 (NGC 628) on 2013 July 25.80 UT, has been announced on the CBAT Transient Objects Confirmation Page. The discover's name does not appear there. The presence of the transient has been confirmed by Andrzej Pigulski on 2013 July 27 0:00 UT in vsnet-alert 16057. |
| 26 July | Special Notice #367: Outburst of the UGWZ star UZ Bootis |
Carey Chiselbrook (CCY; Georgia, United States) reports via the AAVSO Forums that the WZ Sge-type variable UZ Bootis is in outburst. It was observed visually at magnitude 12.8 on 2013 Jul 26 02:00 UT (JD 2456499.58194). The outburst was confirmed by Walter MacDonald (MDW; Ontario, Canada) imaged the field and found UZ Boo at V=12.69 03:25 UT (JD 2456499.6394). Observations of UZ Bootis -- both visual estimates and CCD time series -- are encouraged throughout the outburst. |
| 24 July | Special Notice #366: Symbiotic variable AS 270 brightening |
July 24, 2013: AAVSO observer Steve O'Connor (OCN; St. George's, Bermuda) reports a possible brightening episode of the symbiotic variable AS 270. O'Connor reports the star at V=12.75+/- 0.02 on 2013 July 24.535 (JD 2456498.035). The most recent prior observation reported to the AAVSO International Database (M. Linnolt, LMK; Ocean View, Hawaii, United States) had AS 270 at m(vis)=14.1 on 2013 July 13.390 (JD 2456486.890), suggesting a rise of more than one magnitude in less than two weeks. |
| 19 July | Alert Notice 487: Supernova 2013dy in NGC 7250 = PSN J22181760+4034096 |
July 19, 2013 |
AAVSO Councillor Kevin Paxson has completed and presented the results of the AAVSO's survey of the professional astronomical community. The AAVSO solicited participation from professional astronomers in an online survey early this year, and the results are now available in both raw and summarized form, with commentary and analysis from Kevin. The results were presented at the 2013 Spring Meeting of the AAVSO, and the final reports are now avail 
