Because in the end we all get a little bit tired.

Believe it or not, this month marks 20 years since I came back to the hobby of amateur astronomy.

Over the last year it became increasingly obvious to me that I had achieved all that I had ever wanted to achieve and that the enjoyment and job satisfaction I used to feel had declined almost to vanishing point.

I postponed making a final decision to pull the plug until I had worked out what had gone wrong. Was it me or was it you lot? I finally decided that I am just too tired to continue to throw astronomical life preservers to people who in the main don't appeciate them and in some cases don't deserve them either.

Thanks for the good times - and a final two-fingered salute to John Greaves - it has been quite a ride!

http://www.martin-nicholson.info/legacy.htm

THE END

Arxiv articles of variable star interest – September 15th 2012 to September 21st 2012

The orbital and superhump periods of the deeply eclipsing dwarf nova PU Uma

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.4062

Rotational and Cyclical Variability in gamma Cassiopeiae. II. Fifteen Seasons

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.4394

The astronomizings of Dr. Anderson and the curious case of his disappearing nova

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.4057

2012 AAVSO Council Nominees

There are two high-profile professional astronomers standing for Council and it is precisely because they are both high-profile and professional that counts against them in my eyes. I don’t want the work of supporting the AAVSO being squeezed into the tiny gaps that remain in their hectic working day. So with all due respect to Edward Guinan  and John Martin I can only say, “thanks but no thanks”.

Arxiv articles of variable star interest – September 8th 2012 to September 14th 2012

Pre-main sequence variable stars in young open cluster NGC 1893
http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.1472

Photometric study of the short-period RS CVn eclipsing binary DV Psc

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.1862

Bright low mass eclipsing binary candidates observed by STEREO

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.2014

An Eccentric Eclipsing Binary: CGAur

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.2248

Brightness variations in totally-eclipsing binary GSC4589-2999

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.2567

V369 Gem: A New Ellipsoidal Variable System With High Level Chromospheric Activity

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.2576

Arxiv articles of variable star interest – September 1st 2012 to September 7th 2012

Broad-band timing properties of the accreting white dwarf MV Lyrae

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.6292

Long-term photometric and spectroscopic observations of the near-contact binary KR Cygni
http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.0290

IPHAS J062746.41+014811.3: a deeply eclipsing intermediate polar

http://arxiv.org/abs/1209.0719


See also Astronomical Data Mining

http://www.martin-nicholson.info/2012/astrodatamining.htm

Arxiv articles of variable star interest – August 25th 2012 to August 31st 2012

The Shape of Long Outbursts in U Gem Type Dwarf Novae from AAVSO Data
http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.5477

CC Sculptoris: A superhumping intermediate polar

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.5936

Discovery of an X-ray Emitting Nebula around the Recurrent Nova T Pyxidis

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.6120

Arxiv articles of variable star interest – August 18th 2012 to August 24th 2012

Phenomenological Modeling of the Light Curves of Algol-Type Eclipsing Binary Stars
http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.3655

Can R CrB stars form from the merger of two helium white dwarfs?

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.3907

Multi-Periodic Oscillations in Cepheids and RR Lyrae-Type Stars

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4246

Discovery of Peculiar Double-Mode Pulsations and Period Doubling in KEPLER RRc Variables

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4251

The QUEST RR Lyrae Survey: III. The Low Galactic Latitude Catalogue

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4599

Analysis of a selected sample of RR Lyrae stars in LMC from OGLE III

http://arxiv.org/abs/1208.4711