Discovery and Period Analysis of Seven Variable Stars

Volume 47 number 1 (2019)

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Tom Polakis

Command Module Observatory, 121 W. Alameda Drive, Tempe, AZ 85282; tpolakis@cox.net

Abstract

Tens of thousands of images have been acquired during the course of asteroid photometry observations at Command Module Observatory (MPC V02). Nightly sets of these images were analyzed using a software routine that locates field stars whose brightness shows anomalously high photometric scatter. A total of 32 variable stars were identified by this method, six of which are discoveries. An additional discovery was made serendipitously by noticing variability of a comparison star. Follow-up V-band observations were made for all of these stars, and combined with sparse survey data to perform period analysis and create light curves that are presented in this paper. All seven stars are eclipsing binary systems: four are of type W UMa, two are type β Lyr, and one is an Algol-type. Results have been entered into the International Variable Star Index.