Dr. Stella Kafka was awarded the Hollis and Grete Johnson Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research at Indiana University. She has also received the National Optical Astronomy Observatory Excellence Award for her work at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. In this episode, she shares with us a wealth of knowledge on variable stars and useful information on observing them.

Time stamps :

• 08:05 : What is a variable star ? What causes stars to change in brightness ?
• 14:10 : How do we discover and observe variable stars ?
• 18:35 : Are variable stars rare ?
• 19:09 : Why are variable stars important ? Why observe variable stars ? What do we learn from variable stars ?
• 22:19 : What are examples of variable stars ?
• 24:06 : Are exoplanets variable stars ?
• 26:08 : What type of equipment can I use to observe variable stars ?
• 28:44 : Which variable stars should I observe as a beginner ? How can I learn about variable star observing ?
• 30:55 : What if I don’t have equipment or I live in a light-polluted area ? Can I still contribute to science ?

Useful links and resources :

• American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO)
• AAVSO Monthly featured variables
• AAVSO Observing Sections
• AAVSO Education
• AAVSO VSX Data Mining
• AAVSO on Facebook
• AAVSO on Twitter