METEORS(?), SATELLITES(?), OR AIRPLANES(!) NEAR VARIABLE STARS
The star near center (with the small star to its left) is a Mira variable star called S Persei. It slowly pulsates and changes brightness with a period of 822 days. Sometime during the two minute exposure which produced this image a meteor or satellite happened to pass through the lower left hand corner.
Even more spectacular is this 70-second exposure of S Persei taken through a V-filter on the evening of January 21st, 2001. A satellite(?) passed right in front of the variable star itself! What are the probabilities here? Talk about Murphy's Law! It's enough to give me the Satellite Blues!
Here's another meteor(?) passing near the variable star VX Geminorum at 3:20 EST on September 26, 2001. This is a 36-second exposure through a red filter.
What is it with VX Geminorum? Here is yet another meteor(?) passing through my field of view at 2:14 EST on October 29, 2001. This is a 12 second exposure through a photometric I filter.
Yet another satellite passes through a field containing the variable star DX Andromedae at 6:49 PM on February 8, 2002.
An airplane passes through the field of the variable star RR Bootis on October 24, 2003.
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