Variable Star CCD Light Curves and New Periods (Abstract)

Volume 22 number 1 (1993)

Priscilla J. Benson

Whitin Observatory, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Deborah Gelch

Whitin Observatory, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Elan J. Grossman

Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT

Corinne M. Carter

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Abstract

(Abstract only) We show light curves for three variable stars determined from observations using a Photometrics CCD camera on the Wellesley College 24-inch telescope beginning November 1990. The General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS) lists a period of 210 days for the Mira variable VX UMa. We have determined the period to be about 364 days. LO Aur and VX Gem do not have periods listed in GCVS. The Mira LO Aur has a period of about 513 days and the RR Lyrae variable VX Gem has a period of about 0.29 day. This research has been possible because of the W. M. Keck Foundation grant to the Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium which provided the CCD camera, workstation, and partial summer support for E. Grossman; the National ZScience Foundation grant AST-8910013 (PJB); and the Pew Foundation grant for the NECUSE summer SURF program (EG and CC).