S Doradus; a Century of Science Fact and Fiction

Presenter(s): Alan Plummer

Affiliation(s): Linden Observatory

Session details: Saturday, 2020-04-11 01:30:00, STAR

Abstract

S Doradus is a star that has captured the imagination of astronomers since 1897, and science fiction writers almost immediately thereafter. There is almost as much mystery about this extraordinary star in 2020 than 100 years ago. Amateur observations of S Dor are very much sought after by the wider astronomical community, yet the number of observers worldwide of this 9th mag star can be counted on one hand. The purpose of this presentation is to encourage more observers – particularly visual – to contribute to the understanding of the ‘S Dor’ stars. Writers of both science fact and fiction are a long way from finished with S Doradus and the remarkable and rare class of objects that now bare its name.

Biography

Alan has been an amateur astronomer and variable star observer since 2002, lodging over 60,000 visual observations with the American Association of Variable Star Observers. Over recent years observations of the Luminous Blue Variables in the Magellanic Clouds have proven far and away the most valuable to the wider astronomical community. Between times working as a musician, Alan is a contributing editor to Australian Sky and Telescope, and has published in the Astrophysical Journal, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and more.