It should come as no surprise that in one of the most densely populated
constellations in the Milky Way, Cygnus,
there is a bounty of cataclysmic
variables and unusual objects to observe.
Like many observers, I tend to
do my program stars by
constellation, starting in the west and progressing to the east. At a
minute or two per observation,
most constellations require only ten
or fifteen minutes to get through.
After whipping through Hercules,
Lyra, Aquila, Sagitta and
Vulpecula I come to the part of my program I call "The Cygnus Run". I
usually take a break
before diving into this section of the Milky Way
because I know it's going to be a while before I make it out to the
other
side. Sometimes, when the sky is hazy or the moon is up, or I'm
near the end of a session and getting tired, I get to this
part of my
program and think, "Oh boy, here we go". Some nights I just do the
"greatest hits" because it's just too
daunting to tackle the whole
thing.
In the spring and summer, it's less difficult, because Cygnus rises
in
the east and travels high overhead during the night. But, as
winter progresses, Cygnus starts the night closer and closer
to the
western horizon. The Cygnus Run becomes a race against time,
especially if you want to observe anything else
before wrestling with
'the swan'.
After hundreds of Cygnus Runs, I have organized the stars into an
order
that facilitates my doing them quickly and efficiently. I don't
have to move the scope far between fields, and I can make
several
observations before having to rotate the dome. I also make sure to
catch the ones that will set first early
in the run.
It's November now, so lace up your track shoes. Here we go.
1934+30 EM Cyg (UGZ) This is a good
place to start a long run. An
easy star hop from phi Cygni and located in a nice star field, this
hyper active star
seems to always be doing something. Rapid changes
from 14.5 to 12th magnitude make this one fun to monitor.
1930+31
V795 Cyg (UGSS) A short hop from EM Cyg gets you to this
field. This is a rather infrequent outburster. It gets as bright
as
13.5 when it does go off, and there are plenty of comparison stars
close by to make estimates with.
1927+33
V792 Cyg (UG) Following a little chain of 9th magnitude stars
in the finder will get you to V792 Cyg from V795 Cyg. There
are no
AAVSO charts for this one, even though it goes into outburst quite
often. I've seen it in outburst twice since
August.
1929+33 V793 Cyg (UG) No AAVSO charts for this one either, but it's
just a short hop SE from V792 Cyg. This
one lies in the heart of a
string of close companions that will make it a real challenge to
untangle and positively
identify in outburst. It can get as bright as
14.4, so is within the reach of a 10" scope. There is very little
data
on this one in the AAVSO archives.
1950+32A EY Cyg (UGSS) Swinging to the east and following a line of
stars almost
due south from eta Cyg, this UGSS gets into the 11th
magnitude range in outburst. The last two were in November 2001 and
January
1997. It tends to hover around 15th magnitude in quiescence.
1955+33 V482 Cyg (RCrB) The last RCrB type fade of this
star was in
1996. It dropped down to the mid-thirteens before coming back up to
its present state. It has a close 14th
magnitude companion that may
add to the scatter in observations.
1949+35 V1454 Cyg (UG) Hopping directly from eta
Cygni, north, then
east, brings you to V1454 Cyg. Be careful in identifying this field
the first few times. There is
another asterism that looks very
similar just to the east of it. Searching for data on this one, I
came across only
two positive observations, one in October 1996 and
one in May 1997. Both were around 14th magnitude.
1946+35 CI
Cyg (ZAnd +E) Continuing in a line NE from eta Cyg you'll
find CI Cyg. Now here is an unusual object. An eclipsing symbiotic
variable!
This system shows eclipses every 855 days that last 100 to
200 days. At other times, it has erupted, getting as bright
as 9th
magnitude. Recently it has hovered around the 11th magnitude mark. CI
Cyg was the variable Star of the Month
for July 2002. For more
details see:
http://www.aavso.org/vstar/vsotm/0702.stm1944+36A V811 Cyg (UG) Continuing in the same direction from eta
Cygni through CI Cyg we come to V811 Cyg. This
is a fairly active
star that can get as bright as 12.7 in outburst. There is a good
PEP(V) sequence from R. Stanton
for this star, but the AAVSO charts
are pretty bad. There are three 14th magnitude stars fairly close by
that could
easily be confused for the variable if you use the d
chart. The g scale chart will help you sort out the confusion, but
it's
pretty ugly.
1953+39 V1016 Cyg (Nc+M) In 1963 this star literally came out of
nowhere in an unusual nova-like brightening.
Since then it has
remained nearly constant at ~10.5V. It doesn't make for a very
exciting visual target, but if it ever
makes a sudden change in
either direction it will probably be a visual observer who alerts
astronomers that it is again
time to point more sophisticated
instruments at this star.
1956+38 V337 Cyg (UG:) This is an enigmatic variable.
Even its exact
position is not known for certain. I can tell you the field is just a
skip and a jump from V1016 Cyg,
and contains a distinct parallelogram
of bright stars. The sequence is probably stated on the bright side.
I've never
glimpsed the 148 and the 140 is the faintest 140
observation I make every night. If you spot this one in outburst
alert
HQ right away.
1925+42 V1504 Cyg (UGSU) Nearly circumpolar here in Michigan, I get
to observe this star a lot. It
has normal outbursts in the 15th mag
range, and superoutburts as bright as 13.6 or so. The f scale chart
has comps all
the way into the 17th magnitude range, so observers
with big scopes can follow this one down to quiescence.
1920+52
V1113 Cyg (UGSU) Another fairly active UGSU that is
observable year round from northern latitudes. The cycle time between
super-outbursts
is rather short, around 190 days. The charts have a
good Henden Sumner sequence.
1924+54 V2176 Cyg (UGSU) Almost
due north of V1113 Cyg is V2176 Cyg.
Formerly known as USNO 1425, this one is a rare sight in outburst.
Notify HQ if
you catch it.
1958+56 V1028 Cyg (UGSU) Scooting to the east and a little north we
get to V1028 Cyg. Reaching 13th
magnitude in outburst, it should be
easy to spot. This field can be confusing at first because of the
similar triangular
asterisms that abound in the area, so take your
time until you get comfortable.
1947+58 V542 Cyg (UGSS) NW from
V1028 Cyg is V542 Cyg. This is
another system that gets to 13th magnitude in outburst. The charts
have a good PEP(V)
sequence from R. Stanton that make observing
outbursts fun.
What do you mean you're tired? We've just past the half
way mark.
We're going to double back on the other side of the swan now to get
to our next targets.
1958+35 V823
Cyg (UGSU) Not very much information on this star. The
range is stated as 15.0p-<18.5p, so it must have faint normal
outbursts
and superoutbursts near 15th magnitude. I have never seen
this one.
2001+32 V550 Cyg (UGSS) This one is an easy
find, lying in the same
field as a 5.7 magnitude micro-variable, V1768 Cygni. There are no
AAVSO charts for this star.
2002+33
V1363 Cyg (UGZ:, pec.) Almost due north of V550, we find
ourselves in a confusing heavily populated region of the sky.
This
little understood star has defied classification thus far. That alone
makes it interesting to follow. Unfortunately,
there are no AAVSO
charts for this one either.
2020+33 V404 Cyg (XN) Sliding due east of V1363 Cyg gets us to the
field
of this X-ray nova. With previous outbursts in 1938, 1956, 1978
and most recently 1989, this one may be overdue for a visual
outburst.
2048+43
V751 Cyg (NLAD) Usually hovering around 14th magnitude, this
one occasionally and unpredictably fades to 16th magnitude.
The last
occurrence was in 1997-98. It's an easy find, very near the North
America Nebula.
2043+41 V516 Cyg (UGSS)
This is a fairly active star with several
outbursts a year in the 14th magnitude range. The sequence has a
significant
gap in it from 128 to 141, right in the outburst range.
2008+42 V1316 Cyg (UG) A long awaited outburst would help to
remove
any lingering doubt about the position and identification of this
variable. The AAVSO charts have an accurate
CCD(V) sequence. The
close 148 comp star has been identified as the variable in the past,
so you might want to keep
an eye on it too.
2023+43 V503 Cyg (UGSU) Just a nudge of the scope to the ENE lands us
in the field of V503 Cygni.
This UGSU has a very short cycle time
between super-outbursts, around 90 days, so it is very active. The
charts have
a good Stanton PEP(V) sequence.
2103+36 V1060 Cyg (UGSS) Even though you can expect a couple per
season, outbursts
of this star are usually short lived, so they are
easy to miss. The star gets into the mid-thirteens in outburst.
2104+36
V1062 Cyg (UG) A two for one treat, this variable is
indicated on the same charts as V1060 Cyg. Unfortunately, the current
charts
do not show enough stars to positively identify the variable
from its close 14th magnitude companions.
2131+39 V632
Cyg (UGSS) Being in the same low power field as 74 Cyg
is a mixed blessing. It makes finding the star a snap, but the glow
from
its bright neighbor makes observing typically faint outbursts a
challenge. It seems to have undergone a period of relative
inactivity
from 1997- 2000, but has recently come back to entertain us. The GCVS
position of this star is way off, so
please use the AAVSO charts to
find it.
2131+40 V630 Cyg (UGSU) Another two for one chart makes the last part
of
the run seem to fly by. This star is fairly active and the
sequences for both V630 and V632 Cyg are good PEP(V) measures,
so
positive observations can be made with a good degree of confidence.
2138+43 SS Cyg (UGSS) Now it gets even easier.
Is there anyone in the
AAVSO who hasn't observed this star at one time or another?
Fortunately the 128 comp doesn't
come in to play often, as it is far
too red to be used as a comparison, with a B-V of 1.839. Variable
star of the month
for June 2000.
http://www.aavso.org/vstar/vsotm/0600.stm
2137+48 V1251 Cyg (UGSU) Directly north of SS Cyg and very
close to
the cluster M39, this one is a rare bird. The last outburst was in
1997. If you catch this one in outburst
it will have been worth all
the effort to make it to the end of the Cygnus Run. Take a break and
notify HQ immediately.
