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Variable Star: BE Lyn. Pierce v. Hengst. What is BE Lyn?. BE Lyn is a Delta Scuti type variable star. This means that it quickly changes brightness. BE Lyn is part of the Lynx constellation.
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Variable Star: BE Lyn Pierce v. Hengst
What is BE Lyn? • BE Lyn is a Delta Scuti type variable star. This means that it quickly changes brightness. • BE Lyn is part of the Lynx constellation. • The Lynx constellation actually looks nothing like a lynx. When it was discovered, the astronomer was quoted as saying that it was so dim that it could only be seen by a person with the eyes of a lynx.
What is a Variable Star? • Many stars do not shine with a constant brightness like our Sun, these are called Variable Stars. • Different Variable Stars change for different reasons. A Delta Scuti variable, like BE Lyn, changes because of the reactions taking place inside its shell.
ST-8 CCD Imager CCDSoft Canopus The Sky 6 8” Schmitt Cassegrain The Tools Used
The Process • Over 2 nights and 5 hours, I took over 418 images of BE Lyn and its neighboring stars. Each one looking similar to this.
The Process • The program that I used to analyze the images was called Canopus. • Using Canopus, you choose 5 stars and the variable. The program will measure the variability of the selected star against the 5 other unchanging stars. • This will produces a graph that will show the light curve.
The Process • Every image had to be sorted, more then once, by hand to ensure that only the accurate, clear images were used. • This is, to say the least, a mind numbing process. • This was only made worse by computer error and compatibility issues, which forced me to do the process twice over for a result.
The Results • With the graph I created from the information I gathered, you can see that the period is 2.06 hours. • The graph reaches a peak of -.20, and a trough of .20. This shows that over the course of 2.06 hours, it deviates .20 magnitude on either side.