Star Spots and Mosquitos
Unfortunately in Minnesota, summer means mosquitos. They haven’t been too bad yet this year until tonight. It was a mob scene and a blood bath. Toxic chemistry to the rescue. It is still a lovely night at a mild 73˚ F.
Me and my mates are looking at the star depicted in the above light curve and it has been a bit of a puzzle. It is periodic with a main period near 0.7667 days but it has odd modulations in the light curve. We have been trying to figure out if it is a double-mode Delta Scuti star, an RR Lyrae star with Blazkho effect or an RS CVn star, which is a rotating variable with large sun spots, sometimes in a binary system.
We are leaning to the latter explanation at this time. If so, we should see some evolution of the spots and may be able to trace if the spots each have different periods, which is a result of differential rotation, where some part of the star rotate faster than others.
Sunday, July 9, 2006