Author Archives: Gustav Holmberg
Developing a variable programme
Hernán De Angelis has written two great blog posts on how to develop a programme for observing variable stars: here and here. Recommended reading!
Meeting in Uppsala
Looking forward to SAAF:s meeting in Uppsala on October 12-13.
AAVSO on Twitter
I am a happy member of the AAVSO. The organization organizes amateurs and professionals on a global scale who are interested in variable stars; furthermore, the AAVSO has built up and maintained crucial parts of the infrastructure of variable star … Continue reading
Is R CrB brightening?
R CrB has been on a plateau during some time, hovering 1.5-2 magnitudes below the normal maximum magnitude. But recently an upward trend has been visible; last night I observed it at 7.2. The current minimum must be one of … Continue reading
Searching for a meteorite
The Swedish Allsky Meteor Network tracked a bolide on November 28, 2016 that could possibly have produced a fall. Calculations by Eric Stempels, coordinator of the network, gave coordinates on the ground, should the bright meteor have produced meteorites. On … Continue reading
Meeting with SAAF
Last weekend SAAF, the Swedish Association of Amateur Astronomers, met in Beddingestrand, for a couple of days of talks, observing &c. Great meeting old and new friends!
Neglected miras
50 neglected miras is the theme for a programme run by SAAF/V, the variable star section of SAAF since February 2012. We have, at the time of writing, amassed 8826 observations, observations have been analysed and new knowledge has emerged … Continue reading
No sunspots
I just observed the Sun: no sunspots, just like the other day. The current sunspot cycle has been quite low. Since a number of years, I am reporting my sunspot observations to the international data centre in Brussels; monitoring such … Continue reading
R Dra past max
The current R Dra maximum was, as noted earlier, comparatively bright. My brightest observation was at 6.2 on December 13. Here are the latest six maxima as reported by Swedish observers:
Bright max of R Dra
R Draconis is heading for a comparatively bright maximum. I observed it at 6.4 this evening. Yet another example of the personality of miras that makes them, even the brighter ones, such interesting phenomena to follow.
