Dear CBAers,

I attach a short semi-popular paper I just finished on the new variable in
Cassiopeia (Var Cas 06, as it is currently known).  It was a big CBA effort,
with contributions from Arto Oksanen, Pierre de Ponthiere, David Boyd, Dave
Messier, Donn Starkey, and Carole Haswell (along with several students from
the Open University)... but the principal data (certainly in the CBA, and I
think in the world also) were from Tom Krajci and Bob Koff.
Their precise data on the very first night after the announcement was the
critical element in certifying the microlens fit.

So... you can read about it.  I'm pretty sure it's the first such event in
history: a high-magnification event for a nearby star.  I'll put up the
figures on the website in a couple days.

Time for new favorite stars!  I've been waiting for November, to promote two
fascinating stars now transiting near local midnight.  RX0354-16 is a
strange novalike variable with an enormous proper motion... a very tempting
target, as it is likely to teach us something new about the local population
of CVs.  Porb is still unknown, and there is some indication it might be as
low as 40 minutes.  The magnitude is listed as 16.0-18.4 ("Eri" in the
Downes et al. catalog), although actual dwarf-nova eruptions are probably
not present.  A great southern - and marginally equatorial - object if you
can handle the faintness!

Likewise for SDSS0407-06, also "Eri" in Downes et al.  Alon Retter and Alex
Liu wrote a nice paper on this star last year.  Our coverage verified the
many periods they found, and I expect this star to be so rich in periodic
content that it will be a prime target for two months or more.
Stated as 15-17, and probably a dwarf nova.  Good target regardless of
brightness.

There's a new eruptive object in Leo, too,and Tom's photometry suggests an
80 minute period.  I'm going to wait another day or two before signing on to
this one, though.

Northern-only targets.  RX0636+35 ("Aur") is a shiny new DQ Her star, about
15.8 and a likely collection of strict periods.  Very nice target, and new
to us.  Also an old friend: V405 Aur, another DQ Her star
and a great target for lousy conditions.

Most of the other targets from last month can be retired.  Exceptions are
certainly AO Psc and FO Aqr: 1-3 hour observations of these stars in the
evening sky continue to be quite useful.

Happy observing!  Please let me, and all of us, know what you find in these
various new targets...

joe

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