A 6 Weaker
This is a bit of a play on words, as you will be looking at 6th magnitude
star in Corona Borealis. The star begins to fade, slowly at first, then much
faster. A month later it can be so faint that it no longer be seen in
binoculars. Then, just as quickly as it dropped out of sight, the star returns.
Six weeks later it shines again on the verge of naked eye visibility as if
nothing had happened.
Facts about R Cor Bor by Keith Turnecliff
Lots of stars undergo periodic brightness changes, but this one is a bit of
an oddity. These fade outs are believed to be a result of carbon soot
condensing in the star's atmosphere. After a few weeks or months, this obscuring
material dissipates and normal service is resumed.
It doesn't take long to
check out this star, so why not check it out at the start of your observing
sessions? You never know when it may vanish again.
This star chart for represents the view from Long Itchington in early July at 10pm.
Credits: Image courtesy of Starry Night Pro Plus 8, researched and implemented by Keith Turnecliff.