Sat, 08/09/2014 - 05:11
I just noticed that Chi Cyg seems to have hit max and started back down around July 10. This max was only about mag 6.8 (visual), much fainter than recent years, and in fact as faint as I could ever recall. I looked back at the historic maxima and there is one other maximum that faint, in 1937. The next runner-up was a 6.4 in 1930. The mean of the AAVSO minima from 1900-2008 was 5.16, so 6.8 is pretty faint. I don't know what it means, but it's pretty interesting.
I have also noticed how unusual faint chi Cyg is during the current maximum. Usually the star dominate its surroundings during maximum, not so this year.
The time of maximum is also a bit later than expected from its elements. This is though in line with the star's behavior since 2003. At the O-C diagram at http://var.astronet.se/mirainfooc2.php the current maxima will get a O-C value of 76-80 and push the curve upward still a bit further.
Thomas Karlsson
Indeed, chi Cyg's latest maximum was unusually faint. In fact, it was a full three magnitudes fainter than the brightest max of this star that I've ever personnally observed. However, as to its significance I'd say that it is simply an example of the extremes that can be reached by this particular star at the time of maximum light in its pulsation cycle. But I would ask will the next maximum be brighter than normal, as is sometimes the case following a very faint cycle?
J.Bortle (BRJ)
This is by far the faintest maximum of Chi Cyg I've ever observed. I've read about Chi haveing faint maximums but never thought I'd see one.
Rich Tyson (TYS)