Crumby's Telescope Tomfoolery Notes - Variable Stars

The out of print Golden Skyguide devotes two whole pages, including a bunch of pictorial graphic representations to this interesting subtopic, variable stars. Apparently, some stars wax apparently brighter, cyclically. Plus, scientists have measured the apparent variability in magnitude of these stars along a time axis. Some of the stars have short periods, some have long periods, some of the stars blow up and are never seen again, millions of years later.

Anyway, variable stars are potential sources of long-term entertainment for amateur astronomers, like me, for example, maybe. What you need to do is go out and look at the same star at discrete intervals to see if it's getting brighter or dimmer. Obviously, this activity, to be of any practical value, requires a methodology for measuring changes in the star over the observation period. Like a camera that can take pictures of the variable star might come in handy. Short of going to the trouble of taking pictures, one might also make comparitive notes on the comparitive brightness of nearby stars, if any are nearby, and compare those notes to the varialbe.

Many have heard tell of "The Wise Men Who Watch the Stars." These wise men figure prominently in human mythology. Why were they wise? Easy that, they watched the stars, and, watching the stars kept them from getting up to some alternative mischief, especially early the next morning.

"Yepper, I am busy watching a star vary in magnitude over a period of 436 days so I don't have time for all that alternative mischief, especially early in the morning."

Interstingly, apparently, there have been lots of human societies that put up with this activity, even encouraging wise men, providing the wise men with sandwiches, pork rinds and libatious beverages, because the wise men were too busy to fetch their own treats.

"Sweetie, I know you are so very busy watching that star change magnitude, can I fetch you some delicious treats out?"

"Yepper, fetch me out a grilled cheese sandwich or two with those canned chiles cut up on them, and some jalapena pork rinds. Also, I could use a pint of Dolmen Stout or two to wash those pork rinds down with. And while your at it, please, duplicate all that for the Steady Hand here, for he also appears a might, peckish."

Yep, those wise men had it made because star gazing kept them away from potential mischief and those ancient societies recognized all that and provided for the Wise Men. In turn, the Wise Men made stuff up that would benefit the trickle down economy, starting with benefits to the Wise Men.