One for All! CQ Tauri is without doubt one of the most rewarding of all variable stars to observe. Firstly, it is within the reach of small telescopes, possibly even good binoculars (at least around maximum). Secondly it is in the same low-power field as another very active star, RR tau, as well as a fainter and rather less-active object AD Tau. Thirdly - and most intriguingly - it is extremely active. On one occasion I saw this star fall by almost a whole magnitude within the space of a minute! Not seen before and not seen since, a warning against bias, now that I have said it! However this star changes from one day to the next - it's hard to keep up with! |
Stay in Touch Don't forget that I am always looking to receive contributions, suggestions and criticism (polite please, I am British after all!) What do you think? Is there something you'd like to see? Is there something you'd like to see dropped? I know it's early days for this e-newsletter but it would be good for all concerned if we could establish a format that's generally popular across subscribers. Are the articles too technical or not technical enough? More observational stuff or more theoretical stuff? More or fewer pretty pictures? A crossword? (OK, that wasn't 100% serious...) |