Vacillation, except for DV UMa

From: Joe Patterson <*jop_at_astro.columbia.edu*> Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 13:17:22 -0700 (MST) · jop_at_astro.columbia.edu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never blow retreat,
He is sifting through the stars and tells the chaff from the wheat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well that's supposed to be so, but don't count on it.  Last message, a
fickle wind blew in and swept away AO Psc and V709 Cas.  Now I'm having
severe doubts about Tau2, which is throwing some very disagreeable noise
at us, and no obvious periodicities.  Therefore, at the risk of incurring
your wrath and exasperation, I'm taking Tau2 off the menu.

I hope that CBA eyes will devoutly turn to DV UMa!  Haven't received any
data yet, but am very hopeful.  We got some data from superoutburst in
April 1997, but really need another for a proper study in that state.
(The light curve is on the homepage, by the way.)  

Then there's FS Aur.  I won't be fickle on this star!  It has a
fascinating light curve at a period completely discrepant from its
spectroscopic period, which is 0.0595 d.  That would be a great first
object of the night.  V405 Aur = RX0558+5353  is pretty good competition
in the same part of the sky.

And CN Ori is the best southern star du jour.  As soon as our australite
friends get going, I'll start bugging the borealites so we can get
extended longitude coverage.  Any luminosity state is just fine (true for
all the others too).

It has finally turned cloudy (in fact stormy) in Arizona.  So we are
really desperate for DV UMa!

        joe