Fun with Cataclysmic Variables: Precision use of the telescope |
A few years ago I became involved with the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). At the time, my telescope equipment consisted of a Celestron 8 inch telescope and a few Nagler eyepieces. I had a fixed pier built into my front yard, and considered myself ready to take on the astronomical world. The truth was slow to dawn, but a C8 can only do so much in a heavily light polluted environment. The AAVSO was good enough to provide a list of easy targets, but some really nasty aspect of my personality rebels at easy anything. I know some really happy lucky folks who pass through life joyfully picking from the low hanging fruit around them. I am not like that. If there is an easy road and a tough road, I ALWAYS seem to find myself on the tough road. In short, I didn't like the easy list. I could find no joy in long period variables, or many of the other ordinary sounding things which were available. Cataclysmic Variables were for me. They sounded hard enough, and the best part was that I had absolutely no idea what they were. ck here to add your text. |
