Let’s start at the very beginning – Let us hope that most of you can identify at least the major constellations.  You also know that most bright stars have names and stars are identified by different schemes of designations.  The brightest star in Taurus constellation has proper name Aldebaran.  It is also identified as alpha  […]

Beginner’s guide to estimating the magnitude of Algol: This article deals with naked eye estimating the magnitude of Algol. The Algol can be estimated by comparing its brightness with two non-variable stars, one which is slightly brighter and the other one is slightly fainter than the variable star.  Then mentally dividing the brightness level between […]

Amateur Astronomers across the world have made a significant contribution to the science of astronomy by measuring stellar light. There are three main observational fields in which amateurs can make a valuable contribution: Variable stars:  The stars whose brightness or rather magnitude changes with time; Occultations: When a star is blocked by the Moon or […]