Publications (77)
Revisiting the extremely long-period cataclysmic variables V479 Andromedae and V1082 Sagitarii
Gagik Tovmassian, Diogo Belloni, Anna F. Pala +56
The overwhelming majority of CVs have orbital periods shorter than 10 hr. However, a few have much longer periods, and their formation and existence pose challenges for the CV evol…
Harold Knox-Shaw and the Helwan Observatory
Jeremy Shears, Ashraf Ahmed Shaker
Harold Knox-Shaw (1885-1970) worked at the Helwan Observatory in Egypt from 1907 to 1924. The Observatory was equipped with a 30-inch (76 cm) reflector that was financed and constr…
Thomas Hinsley Astbury: from an English market town schoolroom to the internal constitution of the stars
Jeremy Shears
T. H. Astbury (1858-1922) was for many years the much-respected headmaster of a boys' junior school in the English market town of Wallingford. By night he was a dedicated amateur a…
The Reverend Walter Bidlake of Crewe
Jeremy Shears
The Reverend Walter Bidlake, MA, FRAS, JP (1865-1938) was vicar of Crewe, England, for some 21 years. A member of the BAA, he was a keen amateur astronomer with an interest in cele…
The 2008 outburst of the cataclysmic variable V358 Lyrae
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Tut Campbell +7
We report photometry of V358 Lyr during its 2008 November outburst, the first confirmed outburst since 1965. At its brightest the star was V=15.9 and the outburst amplitude was at…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. III: The Third Year (2010--2011)
Taichi Kato, Hiroyuki Maehara, Ian Miller +75
Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009, PASJ 61, S395, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for 51 SU UMa-type dwarf novae mainly observed during…
Analysis of the first confirmed superoutburst of V337 Cygni in 2006 May
David Boyd, Tom Krajci, Jeremy Shears +1
During 2006 May the first confirmed superoutburst of the dwarf nova V337 Cygni was observed using unfiltered CCD photometry. The outburst reached a peak magnitude of 15.2 on May 22…
Superhump periods in the UGSU-type dwarf nova SDSSp J082409.73+493124.4
David Boyd, Jeremy Shears, Robert Koff
We present observations and analysis of the first reported superoutburst of the dwarf nova SDSSp J082409.73+493124.4 during February/March 2007. From a maximum observed magnitude o…
Arthur Neville Brown: schoolmaster and variable star observer
Jeremy Shears
Arthur Neville Brown, MA, FRAS (1864-1934) was a prolific variable star observer and served for many years as Secretary of the BAA Variable Star Section. This paper discusses Brown…
Brief outbursts in the dwarf nova V1316 Cygni
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Gary Poyner
Several brief outbursts were detected in the dwarf nova V1316 Cyg during 2005. These events have an average amplitude of 1.4 magnitude and a duration of <1 to 2 days. Whilst no out…
Ernest Elliott Markwick: variable stars and military campaigns
Jeremy Shears
Colonel E.E. Markwick, CB, CBE, FRAS (1853 - 1925) pursued a distinguished career in the British Army, serving in Great Britain and other parts of the Empire and rising to the rank…
Superoutbursts of the SU UMa-type dwarf nova CP Draconis
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Denis Buczynski +8
Analysis of observations of the SU UMa-type dwarf nova, CP Dra, between February 2001 and April 2009 has revealed 15 outbursts, at least eight of which were superoutbursts. The sup…
Observations of the first confirmed superoutburst of SDSS J080434.20+510349.2 in 2006 March
Jeremy Shears, Geir Klingenberg, Pierre de Ponthiere
During 2006 March the first confirmed superoutburst of the dwarf nova SDSS J080434.20+510349.2 was observed using unfiltered CCD photometry. Time-series photometry revealed superhu…
The 2011 February superoutburst of the dwarf nova SDSS J112003.40+663632.4
Jeremy Shears, Steve Brady, Tom Krajci +4
We report unfiltered photometry of SDSS J112003.40+663632.4 during the 2011 February outburst which revealed the presence of superhumps with peak-to-peak amplitude of up to 0.22 ma…
Felix de Roy: a life of variable stars
Jeremy Shears
Felix de Roy (1883-1942), an internationality recognised amateur astronomer, made significant contributions to variable star research. As an active observer, he made some 91,000 vi…
Observations of the recently discovered dwarf nova 1RXS J053234.9+624755 during the 2005 March superoutburst
Gary Poyner, Jeremy Shears
1RXS J053234.9+624755 is a recently discovered dwarf nova. We present CCD and visual photometry during March 2005 of the first ever observed superoutburst in this system
TESS photometry of the nova eruption in V606 Vul: asymmetric photosphere and multiple ejections?
Kirill V. Sokolovsky, Elias Aydi, Konstantin Malanchev +70
Lightcurves of many classical novae deviate from the canonical "fast rise - smooth decline" pattern and display complex variability behavior. We present the first TESS-space-photom…
VSX J074727.6+065050: a new WZ Sagittae star in Canis minor
Jeremy Shears, Steve Brady, Greg Bolt +16
We present photometry of the first reported superoutburst of the dwarf nova VSX J074727.6+065050 during 2008 January and February. At its brightest the star reached magnitude 11.4…
Outburst characteristics of the dwarf nova V452 Cassiopeiae
Jeremy Shears, Christopher Lloyd, David Boyd +3
V452 Cas was thought to have rare outbursts, but monitoring from 2005 to 2008 has shown that the outburst interval is about one month and is weakly periodic. Observations of seven…
SDSS J080434.20+510349.2: Eclipsing WZ Sge-Type Dwarf Nova with Multiple Rebrightenings
Taichi Kato, Elena P. Pavlenko, Hiroyuki Maehara +8
We observed the 2006 superoutburst of SDSS J080434.20+510349.2 during its plateau phase, rebrightening phase, and post-superoutburst final decline. We found that this object is a g…
The orbital and superhump periods of the deeply eclipsing dwarf nova SDSS J150240.98+333423.9
Jeremy Shears, Tut Campbell, Jerry Foote +13
During July 2009 we observed the first confirmed superoutburst of the eclipsing dwarf nova SDSS J150240.98+333423.9 using CCD photometry. The outburst amplitude was at least 3.9 ma…
William Sadler Franks and the Brockhurst Observatory
Jeremy Shears
William Sadler Franks (1851-1935) was astronomer-in-charge at F.J. Hanbury's private observatory at Brockhurst, near East Grinstead, Sussex, from 1909 until his death in 1935. This…
Measuring the superhump period of the dwarf nova RX J1715.6+6856
Jeremy Shears, Ian Miller, Richard Sabo
We report unfiltered CCD observations of the first confirmed superoutburst of the dwarf nova RX J1715.6+6856 in August 2009. At quiescence the star was magnitude 18.3 (CCD, clear).…
F.W. Longbottom: astronomical photographer and founder of the Chester Astronomical Society
Jeremy Shears
Frederick William Longbottom FRAS (1850-1933) was an original member of the British Astronomical Association and served as Director of its Photographic Section between 1906 and 192…
The British Astronomical Association and the Great War of 1914-1918
Jeremy Shears
Marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, this paper considers the effect of the war on the BAA and pays tribute to some of its members who were involved in the…
David Elijah Packer: cluster variables, meteors and the solar corona
Jeremy Shears
David Elijah Packer (1862-1936), a librarian by profession, was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer who observed from London and Birmingham. He first came to the attention of the as…
The controversial pen of Edwin Holmes
Jeremy Shears
Edwin Alfred Holmes (1839 -1919) is best remembered for his discovery of a bright comet in 1892, now known as Comet 17P/Holmes. An amateur astronomer and authority on optics, he wa…
VSX J003909.7+611233: a new Slowly Pulsating B star (SPB) in Cassiopeia?
David Boyd, Christopher Lloyd, Pierre dePonthiere +5
We report the discovery of a new 13th magnitude variable in Cassiopeia close to the variable KP Cas. Analysis of 6 days of intensive photometry shows a regular, near sinusoidal mod…
The 2008 February superoutburst of V452 Cas
Christopher Lloyd, Roger Pickard, Jeremy Shears +3
Observations of the 2008 February outburst of V452 Cas show that the profile, duration and magnitude at maximum were very similar to the previous superoutburst in 2007 September. L…
Measuring the period of the delta Scuti variable U1425-01208594 in Cassiopeia
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Steve Brady +2
The variability of U1425-01208594 was recently discovered by Schmidtobreick et al, who suggested that it is a member of the delta Scuti family of pulsating stars. Photometry conduc…
John Ellard Gore: of immensity and minuteness
Jeremy Shears
John Ellard Gore FRAS, MRIA (1845-1910) was an Irish amateur astronomer and prolific author of popular astronomy books. His main observational interest was variable stars, of which…
Dr. Harold Whichello: medicine and astronomy in Cheshire
Jeremy Shears, Theresa Hull
Dr. Harold Whichello (1870-1945) was a Cheshire General Practitioner and an enthusiastic amateur astronomer. He joined the British Astronomical Association in 1898 and undertook ob…
The 2009 Outburst of V630 Cassiopeiae
Jeremy Shears, Gary Poyner
We present observations and analysis of the 2009 outburst of the unusual dwarf nova V630 Cas which is only the third recorded outburst of this star. The outburst lasted about 104 d…
HR Lyrae (Nova Lyr 1919): from outburst to active quiescence
Jeremy Shears, Gary Poyner
Nova Lyrae was discovered at the Harvard College Observatory on 1919 December 6 at magnitude 6.5. We present a lightcurve for this nova based on published and archival observations…
Unusual stunted outbursts in the nova-like variable HS 0229+8016
Jeremy Shears
We present the light curve of HS 0229+8016 between 2006 and 2019 which shows that the star varies between mag 13.4 and 15.1. There were episodes lasting up to hundreds of days duri…
Photometry and astrometry of SS Leo Minoris during the 2006 October superoutburst
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Tom Krajci +3
We report unfiltered CCD observations of the first confirmed superoutburst of the SU UMa-type dwarf nova SS LMi in October 2006. From a quiescent magnitude of around 21.7 it rose t…
In the footsteps of Ebenezer Porter Mason and his nebulae
Jeremy Shears, Carl Knight, Martin Lewis +3
In 1839 Ebenezer Porter Mason (1819-1840) produced detailed drawings of the Omega Nebula (M17), the Trifid Nebula (M20) and the eastern part of the Veil Nebula (NGC 6992 and 6995).…
Outburst Behaviour of the Dwarf Nova CG Draconis
Maxim Usatov, Jeremy Shears
During the British Astronomical Association (BAA) 2022 campaign, 27436 photometric observations of the dwarf nova (DN) CG Draconis were made, with 106 eclipses recorded. This work…
Optical outbursts of the cataclysmic variable 1RXS J140429.5+172352
Jeremy Shears, Pavol Dubovsky, Colin Littlefield +5
We present the nine-year light curve of the cataclysmic variable 1RXS J140429.5+172352 from 2005 April to 2014 July. We identified four dwarf nova-like outbursts, which typically l…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. VIII: The Eighth Year (2015-2016)
Taichi Kato, Franz-Josef Hambsch, Berto Monard +75
Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for 128 SU UMa-type dwarf novae observed mainly during the 2015-2016…
Low state transitions in the nova-like cataclysmic variable HS 0506+7725
Jeremy Shears
The twelve-year light curve of the nova-like cataclysmic variable HS 0506+7725 between 2006 April and 2018 November is presented. This shows that the star spends most of the time i…
The first confirmed superoutburst of the dwarf nova GALEX J215818.5+241924
Jeremy Shears, Robert Koff, Gianluca Masi +6
In 2011 October an optical transient was reported in Pegasus as a possible nova. The object had an ultraviolet counterpart, GALEX J215818.5+241924. In this paper we present follow-…
CCD photometry of the first observed superoutburst of KP Cassiopeiae in 2008 October
David Boyd, Pierre dePonthiere, Jerry Foote +7
We report CCD photometry and analysis of the first observed superoutburst of the SU UMa-type dwarf nova KP Cassiopeiae during 2008 October. We observed a distinct shortening of the…
SDSS J162718.39+120435.0 - a dwarf nova in the period gap
Jeremy Shears, Steve Brady, Boris Gaensicke +5
SDSS J162718.39+120435.0 was suspected of being a dwarf nova from spectroscopic observations made available by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Photometry conducted during the 2008 ou…
The orbital period of the eclipsing dwarf nova SDSS J081610.84+453010.2
Jeremy Shears, Steve Brady, Tut Campbell +6
We present time resolved photometry of the cataclysmic variable SDSS J081610.84+453010.2 and have established for the first time that it is an eclipsing dwarf nova. We observed an…
Results of a campaign to observe outbursts of the dwarf nova CSS 121005:212625+201948
Jeremy Shears, James Boardman, David Boyd +9
A monitoring programme of CSS 121005:212625+201948 covering nearly two observing seasons has shown that it is a typical SU UMa dwarf nova, but it has one of the shortest supercycle…
Superhumps and post-outburst rebrightening episodes in the AM CVn star SDSS J012940.05+384210.4
Jeremy Shears, Steve Brady, Robert Koff +2
We report unfiltered photometry of the first confirmed outburst of the AM CVn system SDSS J012940.05+384210.4 during 2009 December. At its brightest the star was magnitude 14.5, 5.…
Discovery and outburst characteristics of the dwarf nova ASAS J224349+0809.5
Jeremy Shears, Patrick Wils, Greg Bolt +5
We report the discovery of a new dwarf nova and our observations of its first confirmed superoutburst during 2009 October. The outburst amplitude was 6 magnitudes. The main outburs…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. IX: The Ninth Year (2016-2017)
Taichi Kato, Keisuke Isogai, Franz-Josef Hambsch +76
Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for 127 SU UMa-type dwarf novae observed mainly during the 2016--201…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. II: The Second Year (2009-2010)
Taichi Kato, Hiroyuki Maehara, Makoto Uemura +56
As an extension of the project in Kato et al. (2009, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for 61 SU UMa-type dwarf novae mainly observed during the 2009-2010 se…
Determination of the superhump period of the dwarf nova V701 Tau during the 2005 December superoutburst
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd
We report new measurements of the superhump period of the UGSU-type dwarf nova V701 Tau during the 2005 December superoutburst. Using unfiltered time series CCD observations on 3 n…
The orbital period of the eclipsing dwarf nova CG Draconis
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Steve Brady +1
We have performed time resolved photometry on the dwarf nova CG Dra and have established for the first time that it is an eclipsing system. By measuring the times of the eclipses,…
William Maximilian Lindley: Fifth Director of the BAA Variable Star Section
Jeremy Shears
William Maximilian Lindley, MC, MA, FRAS, AMICE (1891-1972) served as fifth Director of the BAA Variable Star Section from 1939 to 1958. He was an active variable star observer for…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. V: The Fifth Year (2012-2013)
Taichi Kato, Franz-Josef Hambsch, Hiroyuki Maehara +84
Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009a, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for SU UMa-type dwarf novae mainly observed during the 2012-2013 se…
The orbital and superhump periods of the dwarf nova SDSS J093249.57+472523.0
Jeremy Shears, Steve Brady, Shawn Dvorak +4
We report unfiltered CCD photometry of the eclipsing dwarf nova SDSS J093249.57+472523.0 obtained during its first confirmed outburst in 2011 March. The outburst amplitude was at l…
Limb Projections on Saturn
Jeremy Shears, Richard Baum
We present two unusual observations of Saturn recorded during the early years of the twentieth century
Charles Lewis Brook: third Director of the BAA Variable Star Section
Jeremy Shears
Charles Lewis Brook, MA, FRAS, FRMetS (1855 - 1939) served as Director of the BAA Variable Star Section from 1910 to 1921. During this time he was not merely interested in collecti…
Faint-state transitions in the SW Sextantis nova-like variable, HS 0455+8315
Jeremy Shears, Boris Gaensicke, Pablo Rodriguez-Gil +3
We present the fourteen year-long light curve of the SW Sextantis nova-like variable, HS 0455+8315, from 2000 November to 2015 February which reveals two deep faint states at magni…
Outburst characteristics of the dwarf nova SDSS J073208.11+413008.7
Jeremy Shears, Robert Koff, Richard Sabo +3
We report unfiltered photometry during the first confirmed superoutburst of the recently discovered dwarf nova, SDSS J073208.11+413008.7 and conclude that it is a member of the SU…
Observations of the cataclysmic variable SDSS J081321.91+452809.4
Jeremy Shears, Ian Miller, Steve Brady
Our observations of the first reported outburst of SDSS J081321.91+452809.4 during 2008 April show that this cataclysmic variable is a dwarf nova. The outburst amplitude was at lea…
The orbital and superhump periods of the deeply eclipsing dwarf nova SDSS J122740.83+513925.9
Jeremy Shears, Steve Brady, Jerry Foote +2
During June 2007 the first confirmed superoutburst of the eclipsing dwarf nova SDSS J122740.83+513925.9 was observed using CCD photometry. The outburst amplitude was at least 4.7 m…
HW Bootis: an enigmatic cataclysmic variable star
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Graham Darlington +6
We present the 13-year light curve of HW Boo between 2001 May and 2014 May. We identified 12 outbursts, which typically lasted 2 to 5 days, with an amplitude of 2.7 to 3.6 magnitud…
Precursor outbursts and superoutbursts in the SU UMa-type dwarf nova NN Camelopardalis
Jeremy Shears, Jerry Foote, William Mack Julian +8
We report photometry of three outbursts of NN Cam in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The 2007 event started with a normal outburst, lasting about 4 days, which was a precursor to a superoutbu…
Staying ahead of the curve: progress in British variable star astronomy
Jeremy Shears
The BAA Variable Star Section is the world's longest established organisation for the systematic observation of variable stars, having been formed in 1890. Its database contains ne…
Superoutbursts and grazing eclipses in the dwarf nova V1227 Herculis
Jeremy Shears, Ian Miller, Roger Pickard +1
We present photometry obtained during the 2012 May and September outbursts of the frequently outbursting dwarf nova, V1227 Her. Superhumps were present in both cases with a peak-to…
The orbital and superhump periods of the deeply eclipsing dwarf nova PU UMa
Jeremy Shears, Franz-Josef Hambsch, Colin Littlefield +5
We report unfiltered photometry during superoutbursts of PU UMa in 2009 and 2012. The amplitude was 4.5 magnitudes above mean quiescence and lasted at least 9 to 10 days. Superhump…
Photometry of the dwarf nova AW Sagittae during the 2006 November superoutburst
Jeremy Shears, Roger Pickard, Tom Krajci +1
During 2006 November an outburst of the dwarf nova AW Sge was observed using CCD photometry. This revealed 0.25 magnitude superhumps confirming it to be a superoutburst, possibly o…
Frank McClean and the Ferncliffe Observatory at Tunbridge Wells
Jeremy Shears
This short note describes the observatory of the pioneering spectroscopist, Frank McClean (1837-1907), at Tunbridge Wells in England
Superhumps and grazing eclipses in the dwarf nova BG Arietis
Jeremy Shears, David Boyd, Tut Campbell +7
We report unfiltered photometry of BG Arietis (= SDSS J015151.87+140047.2) in 2009 and 2010 which shows the presence of superhumps with peak-to-peak amplitude of up to 0.36 magnitu…
The first confirmed superoutburst of the SU UMa type dwarf nova SDSS J083931.35+282824.0
Jeremy Shears, Enrique de Miguel, George Roberts +3
We report unfiltered CCD photometry of the first confirmed superoutburst of the recently discovered dwarf nova, SDSS J083931.35+282824.0 in April 2010. From a quiescence magnitude…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae
Taichi Kato, Akira Imada, Makoto Uemura +60
We systematically surveyed period variations of superhumps in SU UMa-type dwarf novae based on newly obtained data and past publications. In many systems, the evolution of superhum…
The orbital and superhump periods of the SU UMa-type dwarf nova V1212 Tauri
Jeremy Shears, Tom Krajci, Enrique de Miguel +6
We report CCD photometry of the superoutburst of the dwarf nova V1212 Tau obtained during 2011 January and February. The outburst amplitude was at least 6 magnitudes and it lasted…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. IV: The Fourth Year (2011-2012)
Taichi Kato, Franz-Josef Hambsch, Hiroyuki Maehara +85
Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009, arXiv:0905.1757), we studied 86 SU UMa-type dwarf novae. We confirmed the general trends such as the relation between period…
Amateur astronomers and the new golden age of cataclysmic variable star astronomy
Jeremy Shears
The study of cataclysmic variable stars has long been a fruitful area of co-operation between amateur and professional astronomers. In this Presidential Address, I shall take stock…
Survey of Period Variations of Superhumps in SU UMa-Type Dwarf Novae. VII: The Seventh Year (2014-2015)
Taichi Kato, Franz-Josef Hambsch, Pavol A. Dubovsky +89
Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for 102 SU UMa-type dwarf novae observed mainly during the 2014-2015…
The astronomizings of Dr. Anderson and the curious case of his disappearing nova
Jeremy Shears
Dr. Thomas David Anderson (1853-1932) was a Scottish amateur astronomer famed for his discovery of two bright novae: Nova Aurigae 1891 and Nova Persei 1901. He also discovered more…
CG Draconis, a particularly active dwarf nova
Jeremy Shears, Roger Pickard, Gary Poyner
The dwarf nova CG Dra was intensively monitored during 2005 as part of the Variable Star Sections Recurrent Objects Programme and seven outbursts were detected. These observations…