The Amateur and Eclipsing Binary Stars

Abstract

Probably no other branch of science has benefited as much from the work of dedicated amateurs as has the science of Astronomy. While some amateurs have made many useful types of astronomical observations— comets, meteors, occultations, etc. — perhaps none has been as extensive and as useful as those made in the field of variable stars. There are not nearly enough professional astronomers to keep under proper observation the increasingly large number of known variables. While all kinds of them are well worth continuous study, this paper will call attention to the importance of eclipsing variables and in particular the systematic and continuing observation of their times of minimum light.