THE VARIABLE OF THE MONTH :

RR PICTORUS      

Johannesburg Centre members who read the history of our Centre in the October Canopus will remember that R. Watson owes his fame to the discovery of Nova Pictoris in 1925. Watson discovered this nova while walking to work one morning (Astronomy on the hoof, as it were). As soon as he had verified that the new object was indeed a nova, he telegraphed the Royal Observatory at the Cape, thus ensuring that the nova could be intensively studied from southern observatories round the world, at an early stage of its development. The star has been intensively studied, chiefly at the Cape. Burnham devotes 2 ½ pages to it.

After more than 70 years, the nova is still around and is conscientiously observed by a small number of amateurs. There is a possibility that it may do something again and whoever is lucky enough to observe and promptly report a big change, will be doing a real service to Science.

In his report on the Variable Star section for 1996, Jan Hers bewails the fact that so few amateurs take the plunge and go in for variable star observing. It is possible that potential observers are scared through because they have not made magnitude estimates before. Well here is a star which can be observed quite profitably  by inexperienced amateurs. It remains at about magnitude 12 and should be just visible in a 150mm or larger telescope. See if you can spot the star marked 122 in the finding chart. If you can, then you should be able to see RR at about the same brightness. Make a note of the fact and you have made your first variable star observation!

  see diagram Picmap.bmp  

I, or any other experienced member can show you how to report your observations to Jan Hers or the AAVSO. We may even do the reporting for you. If you should happen to see the star much brighter than the 122 star, say equal to the 112, them you should sound the alarm so that the professionals can move in.

RR is marked in Nortons and other atlases. Point your telescope at Alpha Pictoris and then look for the little straight chain marked 89, 96 and 93. 89 stands for magnitude 8.9 and so on. Decimal points do not appear on star charts, for obvious reasons. You may want some "hands on" instruction at your telescope to learn where north is and how large a field can be seen at a given magnification or you may prefer to do it all yourself.

Good luck!

Danie Overbeek