One of the strangest variable stars is worth watching this spring. Back in 2009, we alerted viewers to monitor the curious variable Epsilon Aurigae. Once every 27.06 years, this star dips nearly a magnitude in brightness down to about +3.8, markedly discernable to the naked eye. This drop lasts for over a year before Epsilon Aurigae returns to its former self. This spring should witness such an occurrence.
08.04.10-Epsilon Aurigae Update.
AstroEvent of the Week: 27.04.09: Epsilon Aurigae.
The American Association of Variable Star Observers wants you to help gather data on a very enigmatic astronomical object; the variable star Epsilon Aurigae. This seemingly ordinary star varies in a very peculiar way. The primary is a type F0 super-giant star, and what is known is that every 27.06 years an unseen mass dims its light from its usual +3.0 magnitude to about +3.8 for about a year.
KIC Dreams: Thoughts on Tabby’s Star
Time to contemplate the cosmos…
All right. I know that, by now, much good ink (real and cyber) has been spilled over KIC 8462852. I also know that I’m probably not the very last science writer to turn our attention towards this strange star, drudged up in the Kepler Space Telescope data. And things have only gotten stranger, as search back through glass-plate archives has revealed that KIC 8462852 has gotten continuously fainter over the past century. [Read more...]