[Vsnet-alert 8424] Re: rho Cas brighter?

[Elizabeth O. Waagen]

Rho Cas has been very well monitored by AAVSO observers since the early 
1920's. According to observations in the AAVSO International Database going 
back to 1921, the average magnitude of rho Cas has never been as bright as 
the 4.1 V cited in the GCVS. There are some individual observations that 
bright (and some even brighter, not unexpected given the redness of the 
star), but the average range has been visual magnitude 4.4 - 5.4 (with the 
notable exception of the 1946 decline to magnitude 6.3).

The longterm light curve of rho Cas may be seen by going to the AAVSO 
website light curve generator page (http://www.aavso.org/data/lcg/) and 
typing rho Cas and 35000 days into the light curve request form there.

Good observing,

Elizabeth Waagen
Senior Technical Assistant, AAVSO

At 10:31 AM 6/2/05 +0900, T. Kato wrote to [Vsnet-alert]:
>   According to the most recent observation by Erwin van Ballegoij, the
>yellow hypergiant rho Cas seems to be atypically bright in recent years
>(GCVS historical maximum 4.1).  Possibly related to recent mass-loss episodes?
>
>CASrho     20050530.9597   4.4  BVE  naked eye