From jop at astro.columbia.edu  Fri May  4 17:16:22 2012
From: jop at astro.columbia.edu (Joe Patterson)
Date: Fri, 04 May 2012 17:16:22 -0400
Subject: (cba:news) ER UMa and BK Lyn
In-Reply-To: <3CA5D1AC-0009-4598-AC86-D740A721A518@gmail.com>
References: <3CA5D1AC-0009-4598-AC86-D740A721A518@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4FA44726.8000300@astro.columbia.edu>

Dear CBAers,

Here's a message from Enrique, which I heartily endorse.  The delicate 
issues of period-finding are accomplished now, due to all the diligent 
and global coverage.  But when we want to study *stability* of these 
periods, we do need *some* coverage late and early in observing seasons 
(when the length of the time series is necessarily short).  So if you're 
an ER UMa soldier, you can take some breaks, but squeeze in a few more 
runs before twilight shuts you down.  Runs >2 hr, that is; below 2 hrs, 
the information is just too slim.

Exactly the same situation applies to BK Lyn. This one is a touch more 
critical, though, for two reasons:

1. BK Lyn has not maintained equal popularity among CBAers; some of you 
are getting tired.  Summon just a little more energy for the gun lap.

2. BK Lyn did a most amazing thing this year.  It turned into a dwarf 
nova!  While we have plenty of data documenting (and proving) this, a 
key question is: when a novalike turns into a dwarf nova, does it do so 
just once (and then smoothly evolve), or does it *stagger* its way? 
Because I believe this star to be the remnant of a 2000 year old nova, 
the former possibility (if true) would set the timescale for old novae 
to turn into dwarf novae.  That number has never been known... but is it 
known now?

Keep the faith on other targets, which are much more seasonal.  And if 
you're covering CR Boo or V803 Cen, can you loudly announce it when 
these stars go into superoutburst (signified when they reach V~13 and 
show big superhumps)?  The supers only last a couple of days, and we 
need to get global coverage in order to confidently parse the period 
structure.

joe



-------- Original Message --------
Return-Path: <edmiguel63 at gmail.com>


Hi Joe

  The latest data on ER UMa show that the latest superoutburst is over
(the third well-covered this season),
with ER UMa returning to quiescence ...... still flashing negative
superhumps. After ~150 days of intensive coverage during 2012 it's
probably time to stop our thorough follow-up on ER UMa and concentrate
on other targets. Next super is expected for 5-6  June, and in the
meantime, time series will get unavoidably shorter. However, I'm still
interested in registering when the next super exactly starts - just to
have another value of the recurrence time, so as to have further proof
of the likely lengthening of the supercycle in ER UMa. For this, I
would suggest stopping ER UMa coverage now, but carrying out ~2 hour
early-evening time series starting by the end of May until the
expected June superoutburst is
observed.

  Enrique




From jop at astro.columbia.edu  Tue May 15 05:44:03 2012
From: jop at astro.columbia.edu (Joe Patterson)
Date: Tue, 15 May 2012 05:44:03 -0400
Subject: (cba:news) Fwd: [baavss-alert] FW: AAVSO Special Notice #281:
 Revised timetable for AE Aqr MAGIC observations
In-Reply-To: <003701cd327b$12edc130$38c94390$@co.uk>
References: <003701cd327b$12edc130$38c94390$@co.uk>
Message-ID: <4FB22563.7020702@astro.columbia.edu>

Dear CBAers,

Let's try to help Chris with his AE Aqr observation program over the 
next 3 weeks.  See the AAVSO Alert Notice 458 for more info.  Also: 
Chris, feel free to advocate/inform separately in this space for the 
program!

AE Aqr has a very rapid periodic signal (33 s), which few of you can 
resolve; but it also has "flares", particularly prominent in blue 
light... and has a slow orbital wave as well.  We might well want to do 
a very long campaign on AE Aqr this summer, when it's better placed for 
earthbound telescopes.

It's also time to start campaigns on V1084 Her and V795 Her - both good 
bright-star targets - and V503 Cyg.  And some DQ Hers in the south: 
V1223 Sgr, FO Aqr, AO Psc.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Big Bear next week!

joe

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[baavss-alert] FW: AAVSO Special Notice #281: Revised
timetable for AE Aqr MAGIC observations
Date: 	Tue, 15 May 2012 10:14:04 +0100
From: 	Gary Poyner <garypoyner at blueyonder.co.uk>
Reply-To: 	baavss-alert at yahoogroups.com
To: 	baavss-alert <baavss-alert at yahoogroups.com>



AAVSO Special Notice #281

Revised timetable for AE Aqr MAGIC observations
May 15, 2012

Dr. Christopher Mauche, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,
has informed us that the timetable of MAGIC observations of the
intermediate polar cataclysmic variable AE Aqr announced in
AAVSO Alert Notice 458 has been revised. Here is the revised
timetable for the dates in May and early June:

2012 May
16, 3:30 - 4:49 UT
17, 3:21 - 4:49
18, 3:17 - 4:49
19, 3:13 - 4:47
20, 3:09 - 3:53
21, 3:06 - 3:49
22, 3:02 - 3:45
23, 2:58 - 3:41
24, 2:54 - 3:37
25, 2:50 - 3:33
26, 2:46 - 3:29
27, 2:42 - 3:25
28, 2:38 - 3:21
29, 2:34 - 3:17
30, 2:25 - 3:13
31, 2:15 - 3:09
2012 June
01, 3:28 - 4:54 UT
02, 3:45 - 4:54

The later dates in June in Alert Notice 458 have not been revised
as of this time.

As mentioned in Alert Notice 458, B-band photometry is requested
during and +/- 1 hour around the times of the MAGIC observations
in order to correlate the multiwavelength observations of this
campaign, and nightly observations thereafter until the end of
June. Visual observations and photometry in other bands are also
welcome. The 122 and 124 on the AAVSO chart for AE Aqr should be
used. Please see Alert Notice 458 for additional details.

Particularly in May, AAVSO observations are crucial because all
but one of the ground-based observatories doing optical
photometry are too far west to observe AE Aqr at this time.

The MAGIC telescope is located at latitude and longitude:
N 28o 45.7245 / W 017o 53.4007

If your observatory is located along or near this latitude,
your observations are even more crucial, and your special
attention would be gratefully appreciated.

Coordinates for AE Aqr: R.A. 20 40 09.16 Dec. -00 52 15.1 (J2000.0)

Charts may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter
http://www.aavso.org/vsp

This AAVSO Special Notice was compiled by Elizabeth O. Waagen.

---------------------------------------------------
SUBMIT OBSERVATIONS TO THE AAVSO

Information on submitting observations to the AAVSO may be found at:
http://www.aavso.org/webobs

SPECIAL NOTICE ARCHIVE AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

A Special Notice archive is available at the following URL:
http://www.aavso.org/special-notice-archive/

Subscribing and Unsubscribing may be done at the following URL:
http://www.aavso.org/observation-notification#specialnotices

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From jop at astro.columbia.edu  Wed May 30 23:05:36 2012
From: jop at astro.columbia.edu (Joe Patterson)
Date: Wed, 30 May 2012 23:05:36 -0400
Subject: (cba:news) SS UMi, V1974 Cyg, V503 Cyg, V4743 Sgr, V1223 Sgr
In-Reply-To: <4FC6DB9D.9010505@tularosa.net>
References: <4FC6CBA9.3070702@tularosa.net>
	<F121299592FC4896A8FAD26C080732A0@D6BCXR51>
	<4FC6DB9D.9010505@tularosa.net>
Message-ID: <4FC6E000.70903@astro.columbia.edu>

Hi Tom et al.,

We have beautiful weather here at Kitt Peak. Second night of 10 night 
run.  This is my last night - Helena will take all the rest, along with 
2-4 Columbia students she's inculcating into the arcana of research.

Our two main targets will be SS UMi (start of night) and V1974 Cyg 
(after midnight).  So you might endeavor to get SS UMi late in your 
night (as I think has been your custom).  It would be GREAT to get 
European help on SS UMi; I realize the runs will be short, but it'll 
help with alias issues.

V503 Cyg is the other ER UMa star (in my opinion) beginning its 
observing season.  Time to fire up on that guy with long runs.

It's also dead-on perfect season for V4743 Sgr (hard, fascinating 
target) and V1223 Sgr (easy target - only DQ Her star secularly spinning 
down since discovery).  I'd love to work with some data on these stars. 
  We have a lot of students now, and will be capable of a great 
improvement in our conversion rate of data to scientific papers

It was a great Big Bear meeting... and I'll write about it, and some 
changes ahead, after I get back home on Saturday.

joe

Oh yeah - it's FINALLY time to declare season's end for our various 
stars at 9 hours (RZ LMi, ER UMa, BK Lyn).  Better take a lesson from 
Icarus.



On 5/30/2012 10:46 PM, Tom Krajci wrote:
> I see that the cloud is drifting south slowly...may try opening soon.
>
> Las Cruces is south of me...so you may see that happening in an hour or so.
>
>
> On 5/30/2012 8:22 PM, Bill Stein wrote:
>> Tom - I am under the same smoke conditions here too and I do not plan to
>> observe.
>>
>> Bill
>> Las Cruces, NM
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: cba-chat-bounces at cbastro.org [mailto:cba-chat-bounces at cbastro.org] On
>> Behalf Of Tom Krajci
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 7:39 PM
>> To: chat CBA
>> Subject: (cba:chat) Astrokolkhoz - on weather hold
>>
>> Smoke plume from the forest fire in the Gila is over me.  Sun is safe to
>> look at with unaided eye...blood red.  Bright moon tonight to shine on the
>> smoke.  Looks like wind may keep that plume over me for the rest of the
>> night.  Not good for taking data.  (But the smoke is not at ground level, so
>> it's not a local health hazard at this time.)
>>
>> I won't run scopes unless I'm sure that the plume will move away.  I'll
>> monitor for an hour or so after sunset...but not much longer because I'm
>> tired from running the last few days, and repairing/troubleshooting.
>>
>> These smoke clouds are amazing IR filters that block most visible light.  If
>> I stand in the shadow of a tree, and then step out where the sun is (faintly
>> visible) to my eyes...the skin on my face tells me that a strong IR source
>> is blasting away.
>>
>> The fire is now the largest in New Mexico history, and 0% contained.
>> Smoke will be generated for weeks to come.  How large will it get, and what
>> will stop it?...people, or monsoon rains in 6 - 8 weeks?
>> <http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2870/>
>>
>> --
>> -------------------------------------------
>> Tom Krajci
>> Cloudcroft, New Mexico
>> http://picasaweb.google.com/tom.krajci
>>
>> Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA)
>> https://cbastro.org/ CBA New Mexico
>>
>> American Association of Variable Star
>> Observers (AAVSO): KTC http://www.aavso.org/
>> -------------------------------------------
>>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA) mailing lists
> https://cbastro.org/communications/mailing-lists/
>



From jop at astro.columbia.edu  Thu May 31 17:11:08 2012
From: jop at astro.columbia.edu (Joe Patterson)
Date: Thu, 31 May 2012 17:11:08 -0400
Subject: (cba:news) V1084 Her, no; V503 Cyg, V1432 Aql si; plus the DQ Hers
Message-ID: <4FC7DE6C.8030701@astro.columbia.edu>

Dear CBAers,

A few notes before starting my trip home.

I've studied the V1084 Her data (mostly Tom).  Flickers like crazy, but 
the periodic signal was invisible despite the very good quality of the 
data.  Time to quit.

Let's start the season on V503 Cyg and V1432 Aql.  For the latter, an 
asynchronous polar, we're trying to measure the changing period of the 
photometric wave that signifies rotation.  That will yield the timescale 
for synchronization - thought to be a few hundred years, but not 
decisively specified by observation.  It takes pretty long seasonal 
coverage to completely rule out cycle-count ambiguities - so let's 
start!  You probably need 3-hour time series, but there's no great 
advantage in going longer.

The same type of program is appropriate for V503 Cyg, but of course the 
motivation is vastly different.  It's a borderline ER UMa star, and 
likely to erupt in the next 2 weeks.  We especially favor time series in 
superoutburst (positive superhump guaranteed) and quiescence (negative 
superhump very likely).  The fast up-and-down stuff the ER UMas 
sometimes throw at you - usually in the range 15-16 - is of lower 
priority; it can be hard to extract periodic signals during these 
phases.  In fact, it would be very good to keep a close eye on the THREE
borderline ER UMa guys: V503 Cyg, SS UMi, and IX Dra - and send any 
detection of (super)outburst or deep quiescence to cba-chat.

And it's the season for DQ Hers.  Everyone observing these should become 
familiar with Koji Mukai's intermediate polar web-page.  It lists all 
the stars, with lots of useful info.  Pick out a nice star for your 
latitude and time of night, make sure it's optically bright enough (they 
mostly are, but check to be sure), and get a 2-3 hour light curve. 
Unlike our usual programs, there's no great advantage in concentrating 
on one star for many successive nights.  Spread the wealth - the purpose 
here is to establish a long-term O-C, so steady light pressure on these 
stars is just fine.  BTW add one important one to the list: RXJ1654-19. 
  And I hope australites will nail EX Hya for a final end-of-season 
observation.

joe