Re: FS Aur outburst

From: Joe Patterson <*jop_at_astro.columbia.edu*> Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2006 06:16:43 -0500 · jop_at_astro.columbia.edu

Whoa!  This is great news.  Let me refresh everyone on FS Aur, the star 
that has *completely* defied efforts to understand.  The radial-velocity 
period is 0.059 days, and we generally assume P(vrad) = Porb.  CVs of 
that Porb are decently understood - nearly all are SU UMa stars, with 
superoutbursts, superhumps, etc... we all know the drill.  But FS Aur 
certainly has no superoutbursts or superhumps - just these rare and 
brief outbursts which don't fit into any known scheme for understanding 
eruptions.  None have ever been followed well with time-series 
photometry (though I think Tom Krajci covered one decently from one 
longitude).  The other mystery - the biggest one I guess - is that 
there's a large-amplitude signal at 0.142 d in the light curve... 
unrelated to everything else about the star, but obviously of deep 
significance (because the amplitude is very large).

So let's follow it into its latest adventure.  BTW I have a draft of a 
paper on FS Aur - collaboration with the AAVSO - which is almost done 
and just waiting for the sky to settle down a bit!

joe

Jeannie Monteith wrote:
> Yes, I am about to start it now.  
> TUT & Jeannie Campbell
> Whispering Pine Observatories
> HArrison ARK, USA
> --- bart staels <staels.bart.bvba@pandora.be> wrote:
> 
>> I just ended a 7-hour run on FS Aur ; is definitely in outburst
>> (14.891 in the beginning of the run and 14.187 near the end); anyone
>> able to take over in the States?
>>
>> stargreetings
>>
>> Bart Staels
>> CBA Flanders
>>