(cba:news) V1101 Aql mostly

[Joe Patterson]

Dear CBAers,

V1101 Aql continues to amaze, with its startlingly coherent 3.9 hour and 
16 day periodicities... and at such high amplitude!  The smart money 
(sorry, gambler's slang) still says this is a negative superhump, but 
there's a not-small chance that it's something more exotic.  Maybe 
unprecedented.  I don't know any star like this.

And CBAers have really been working overtime: Joe U, Enrique, David 
Cejudo, Jim Jones, Doug Slauson, Richard Sabo, Mike Potter, George 
Roberts, Tut Campbell, Ken Menzies, Michael Cook, Marlin Costello, Greg 
Bolt, Gordon Myers.  Wow!  And we now have a beautiful 44-day light 
curve, sufficiently regular to specify all the main periods (though not 
necessarily with enough wisdom to *interpret* them).  So let's 
experiment a little.

The star is bright enough, and the signals strong enough, to survive 
filtration.  If you have broadband filters (1000 A-ish, like the Johnson 
filters), then consider taking the time series in filtered light.  You 
could choose a single-filter time series, e.g. V or I, or interleave 
them (V, I, V, I, etc.)  While the strategy is basically exploratory, 
what I'm wondering is whether the alleged "superhump" is really a 
signature of a strongly magnetic WD, which are also commonly signified 
by a *very* red color (redder than any thermal process could reasonably 
produce).

I don't think *most* people should do this.  Maintaining our beautiful 
44-day light curve for a few more weeks is mighty important.  But if 
some people observe in filtered light, there would be new information, 
and a test of my hypothesis (or at least the version of it invoking 
cyclotron radiation).  Meanwhile, keep the faith on the star.

BTW watch out for the nearby intruder stars, in this somewhat crowded 
field.  They could *really* louse up colors.

In the far south, the campaigns on BW Scl, NR TrA, and CD Ind continue, 
an the stars are definitely cooperating.  Details in the next 1-2 days.

And I still *crave* light curves of V1494 Aql!  Kind of an orphan in 
recent years.

joe
____________________________________________________________
Center for Backyard Astrophysics (CBA) mailing lists
https://cbastro.org/communications/mailing-lists/