The astronomizings of Dr. Anderson and the curious case of his disappearing nova

Dr. Thomas David Anderson (1853-1932) was a Scottish amateur astronomer famed for his discovery of two bright novae: Nova Aurigae 1891 and Nova Persei 1901. He also discovered more than 50 variable stars as well as making independent discoveries of Nova Aquilae 1918 and comet 17P/Holmes in 1892. At the age of seventy, in 1923, he reported his discovery of a further nova, this time in Cygnus. This was set to be the culmination of a lifetime devoted to scanning the night sky, but unfortunately no one was able to confirm it. This paper discusses Anderson's life leading up to the discovery and considers whether it was real or illusory.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association Revised version has additonal information about Hertzsprung's object and corrected typo

Charles Lewis Brook: third Director of the BAA Variable Star Section

Charles Lewis Brook, MA, FRAS, FRMetS (1855 - 1939) served as Director of the BAA Variable Star Section from 1910 to 1921. During this time he was not merely interested in collecting the observations of the members (to which he also contributed), but he also spent considerable amounts of time analysing the data and preparing numerous publications on the findings. This paper discusses Brook's life and work, with a particular focus on his contribution to variable star astronomy.Comment: 37 pages, 1 Table, 25 Figures. Accepted for publication by JBA

Frank McClean and the Ferncliffe Observatory at Tunbridge Wells

This short note describes the observatory of the pioneering spectroscopist, Frank McClean (1837-1907), at Tunbridge Wells in EnglandComment: Published in the Newsletter of the British Astronomical Association Historical Section. 4 pages, 5 figure

David Elijah Packer: cluster variables, meteors and the solar corona

David Elijah Packer (1862-1936), a librarian by profession, was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer who observed from London and Birmingham. He first came to the attention of the astronomical community in 1890 when he discovered a variable star in the globular cluster M5, only the second periodic variable to be discovered in a globular cluster. He also observed meteors and nebulae, on one occasion reporting a brightening in the nucleus of the galaxy M77. However, his remarkable claims in 1896 that he had photographed the solar corona in daylight were soon shown to be flawed.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Associatio

Amateur astronomers and the new golden age of cataclysmic variable star astronomy

The study of cataclysmic variable stars has long been a fruitful area of co-operation between amateur and professional astronomers. In this Presidential Address, I shall take stock of our current understanding of these fascinating binary systems, highlighting where amateurs can still contribute to pushing back the frontiers of knowledge. I shall also consider the sky surveys that are already coming on stream, which will provide near continuous and exquisitely precise photometry of these systems. I show that whilst these surveys might be perceived as a threat to amateur observations, they will actually provide new opportunities, although the amateur community shall need to adapt and focus its efforts. I will identify areas where amateurs equipped for either visual observing or CCD photometry can make scientifically useful observations.Comment: 42 pages, 26 Figures. BAA Presidential Address 2017. Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Associatio

Ernest Elliott Markwick: variable stars and military campaigns

Colonel E.E. Markwick, CB, CBE, FRAS (1853 - 1925) pursued a distinguished career in the British Army, serving in Great Britain and other parts of the Empire and rising to the rank of Colonel. He was an original member of the BAA and went on to become President between 1912 and 1914. His main observational interest was the study of variable stars and he independently discovered two variables, RY Sgr and T Cen. He directed the BAA Variable Star Section from 1899 to 1909, organising its work along lines that are largely pursued even to this day and which other variable star organisations around the world have emulated.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 45 pages, 26 figure

Staying ahead of the curve: progress in British variable star astronomy

The BAA Variable Star Section is the world's longest established organisation for the systematic observation of variable stars, having been formed in 1890. Its database contains nearly 3 million measurements going back to 1840 and is an important resource for researchers. The aim of this Presidential Address is to reveal some of the lesser known tales that lie deep within the database. This includes bringing to life stories about some of the people that were involved, especially in the early years, including Joseph Baxendell, Mary Adela Blagg and Arthur Stanley Williams, as well as shedding light on some of the stars that have been observed. Finally we look to the future as the Variable Star Section builds on the legacy of its forebears, ensuring that it shall always stay ahead of the curve.Comment: 33 pages, 25 Figures. British Astronomical Association Presidential Address, 2016. Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Associatio

Low state transitions in the nova-like cataclysmic variable HS 0506+7725

The twelve-year light curve of the nova-like cataclysmic variable HS 0506+7725 between 2006 April and 2018 November is presented. This shows that the star spends most of the time in a normal state at magnitude ~14.7, but multiple excursions to a fainter state at magnitude 16.0 to 17.0 were apparent. These normal state/low state transitions of up to 2.3 magnitudes are typical of the VY Scl subclass of CVs. The second of these fading episodes was the best characterised as its return to normal brightness was also observed. The complete transition lasted about 43 days. Further monitoring of this system by amateur astronomers is encouraged to identify and characterise future low states.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 7 pages, 2 figure

The 2009 Outburst of V630 Cassiopeiae

We present observations and analysis of the 2009 outburst of the unusual dwarf nova V630 Cas which is only the third recorded outburst of this star. The outburst lasted about 104 days, with the rise to maximum being slightly slower than the decline, which we interpret as an inside-out outburst. At is brightest it had V = 14.0, 2.3 magnitudes above the mean quiescence magnitude. The characteristics of the outburst are similar to several other long orbital period dwarf novae.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association 12 pages, 4 Figure

Harold Knox-Shaw and the Helwan Observatory

Harold Knox-Shaw (1885-1970) worked at the Helwan Observatory in Egypt from 1907 to 1924. The Observatory was equipped with a 30-inch (76 cm) reflector that was financed and constructed by the Birmingham industrialist, John Reynolds (1874-1949), to benefit from the clearer skies and more southerly latitude compared with Britain. Knox-Shaw obtained the first photograph of Halley's Comet on its 1910 perihelion passage. He also carried out morphological studies on nebulae and may have been the first to identify what later became to be known as elliptical galaxies as a distinct class of object. Photographic analysis of the variable nebula NGC 6729 in Corona Australis enabled him to conclude that the changes in brightness and shape were correlated with the light travel time from the illuminating star, R CrA.Comment: 44 pages, 27 figures. Accepted for publication in the Journal of the British Astronomical Associatio