V4334 SGR is well known as "Sakurai's Object". It was discovered as a variable on February 20, 1996 by Yukio Sakurai of Japan while he was looking for comets. (Imagine the numbers of variables discovered this way!) At the time, it was a new 12th magnitude star thought to be a novae. But pretty soon it was realized things were not quite so simple.
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| It is thought that stars depicted in Vincent Van Gogh's famous 1889 painting titled "The Starry Night" form the constellation of Aries -- with the addition of Venus and the Moon. |
Prepared by Aaron Price - November 1998
At the AAVSO Annual Meeting in October 1998, AAVSO Council Member Ron Royer presented a paper titled "FG Sge: Amateur Challenge, Professional Enigma". Below is the abstract:
A white dwarf in the making
Everything changes. Even the stars in the sky.
The above image is an artist rendering of VY CMa by former AAVSO staff member Neil Braun.
W Ursae Majoris Discovered
When searching for information, including data and charts, and when submitting observations for MWC 349 within the framework of the AAVSO, be sure to use the variable star name of V1478 Cyg!
The Emission Line Star V1478 Cyg (MWC 349)
Q. What class of variable star is most numerous among the very brightest stars?
A. The β Cephei stars
Q. What class of variable star is probably unfamiliar to most AAVSO observers?
A. The β Cephei stars
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| An artist's conception of a blazar. Image credit: NASA/Honeywell Max Q Digital Group, Dana Berry. |
