Rho Cassiopeiae—an Update (Abstract)

Volume 46 number 2 (2018)

Des Loughney

113 Kingsknowe Road North, Edinburgh EH14 2DQ, United Kingdom; desloughney@blueyonder.co.uk

Abstract

(Abstract only) Rho Cas has been monitored by the author using DSLR photometry over the period 2007 to 2018 and the measurements are continuing. Following the outburst and fade in 2001–2002, which was thought to happen every 50 years or so, it was expected that the star would revert to its standard pattern of semiregular variations. The measurements between 2007 and 2013 seemed to confirm this. The star varied semi-regularly between 4.5 and 4.9 magnitudes. In 2013 an event occurred which heralded a new pattern of behavior. The star brightened to 4.3 and faded to 5 magnitude. A different pattern emerged which continued to 2018 when there was another mini outburst when the star brightened to 4.2. The brightenings, which are usually explained by mass ejections, are occurring more often and suggest that the dynamics of the star have changed.