R CrB again

[SilverAstro]

I was surprised to find R Corona Borealis bright in my 10x50 binos tonight and thought "sky must be exceptional" especially as the Milky Way with the Great Divide was outstanding.

Only a bit later I realised that the star (HIP 77373 mag7.4 in Stellarium) close by was its normal self! doh! R CrB must have continued to brighten since I last looked some months ago

Indeed, on checking AAVSO it is now hovering in the region of mag6.5 to 7 according to their spread, and I'd put it at near 6.5.  A good magnitude more since I last looked For lucky people with good eyes and a dry dark site that puts it into NE territory ( not for me yet !)

So, a nice easy one for 10x50 Bino Bods, and it has a curious/interesting history having spent much of the last decade down in the mag10 to 15 region with only one brief rise to approx mag7

I wonder if the sky is yet dark enough for @Cinco Sauces way up north, another aficionado of this star

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Mag 6 to mag 15, that's extreme variability. According to the wiki article it's thought to be due to rapid buildup of carbon soot in its atmosphere.

[JeremyS]

8 hours ago, SilverAstro said:

So, a nice easy one for 10x50 Bino Bods, and it has a curious/interesting history having spent much of the last decade down in the mag10 to 15 region with only one brief rise to approx mag7

Indeed a fascinating variable star, SilverAstro. Good to hear you were able to observe it.

Jeremy

[SilverAstro]

18 hours ago, Knight of Clear Skies said:

Mag 6 to mag 15, that's extreme variability. According to the wiki article it's thought to be due to rapid buildup of carbon soot in its atmosphere.

Yes. For most of my astro life it was just a little puff from time to time causing brief but deep fades, but in '07 it had a mighty great belch which has persisted, be interesting to see which way it goes next.

[DHEB]

Hello variable star fellows!

I have been away from this forum for a while, but not away from variable star observing! Yes, @SilverAstro, I have taken notice of R CrB and its wonderful peregrinations, and yes, darkness has finally made a lucky return to this northern lands (this coming weekend will be first astrodark at my place since mid May!). We are even having some unusually long streaks of good weather!

The only down side is that I cannot see Coronae Borealis from my house these days, as it is well hidden behind a tall forest right behind my house. So no R or T CrB for me, at least as everyday treats.

In any case I have made a lot of variable star observations these last three weeks (in nautical darkness): khi Cyg, T Her, X Oph, R Aql, U Cyg, T UMa, S UMa. I am also starting to think about a long-term visual observing program.

I am now in my third year since I got the variable star bug and believe that my observations and estimates are good enough to share them to the wider community, so since a few weeks ago I started doing so via the AAVSO website (got an observer ID).

You see, these are good times for variable star observing!

Cheers!