Who are the ASSA Variable Star Group?
Well, for starters, none of us have any formal qualifications in astronomy or astrophysics. Most of us have day jobs (or shift work), and have learned our astronomy from books, from other people like us – and by spending thousands of hours observing the night sky. None of us have a Perfect Observing Site or huge telescopes; in fact one of us does all his (numerous) observations with 11×80 binoculars from a very light-polluted suburb! Another one of us does over half of his observations with 7×50 binoculars. About the only things we have in common are a particular interest in variable stars, a desire to contribute to astronomical research, and a dislike of cloudy nights. Discoveries by Group members include (so far) two previously unknown variables; and a comet.
