In a message dated 10/19/2003 12:28:51 PM Central Daylight Time, varsao@fullzero.com.ar writes:
One needs to search for targets that need observations.
Here I support Tom's suggestions about focusing on short period stars,
specially eclipsers.
I am researching eclipsing binaries with no period. I visually detected
several eclipses.
Some of these findings are made with other colleagues like Chris Stephan and
Sergio Dallaporta and others by myself alone. Most of them combine visual
observations with PEP data or with CCD survey data (ASAS-3 or TASS).
Surveys have the same chances that any of us has to catch an eclipse. The
more eclipses there are, the easier it will be to find a period.
We also can help analysing the public data. I have found 55 new eclipsers or
new periods this way in less than 2 months. But this is another story.
But keep in mind also that big surveys saturate with bright stars, so most o
f the binocular and naked eye targets are there to be observed.
Bright Be stars are included in this category.
Continuing Mike's thread and adding to Sebastian's comments, the big surveys haven't put the small telescope astronomer out of business yet. A new and exciting area that anyone can get involved in is infrared astronomy. Optec has developed the SSP-4 infrared photometer http://vsnet.optecinc.com/astronomy/products/ssp-4.html. The instrument works at wavelengths beyond 1 micron in the J and H band. I have started (along with a few others in the AAVSO) measuring Mira's and other types of variables using the SSP-4. On several of my observations, I couldn't any previous measurement in the literature for comparison. The stars are all brighter than H=5 so they are too bright for 2MASS. If you want to make a contribution to astronomy, this is an area that is virtually untouched. Just see how many papers you can find on a time series of a Mira or EB variable in J or H band - there are a few, but not many. Food for thought.
Regards,
Doug West
http://hometown.aol.com/dwest61506/index.html
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