There is a new star in our midst. And the only reason we know it is there is because a 15-year-old Caulfield schoolboy found it.
Discovered using his home computer and an interstate telescope, Will Stamp's find has been included in the database at the American Association of Variable Star Observers, which reviewed and approved his star on December 29.
A year 11 student at John Monash Science School, Will said the variable star was half the size of the sun and about 300 times the size of Earth. But despite its size, it wasn't easy to spot.
He began observing a patch of sky last April which was close to the south celestial pole, dead south about 30 degrees above the horizon.
Having secured time on a fully automated NSW telescope at Siding Springs thanks to the support of the Astronomical Society of Victoria and iTelescope, Will received and analysed images taken overnight on his home computer.
He kept a keen eye on his patch of sky for six months, during which time he studied more than 250 images. The amateur skywatcher was looking for stars with a fluctuating light intensity – the hallmark of stars that change in brightness, which are known as variable stars.
He plotted each star's changing brightness on a graph and then chose the six "most interesting stars" which changed the most. Among those six there was one star that shone the brightest – albeit at varying strengths.
"The one that I found stood out because the brightness was going in a wave pattern," he said. "When I saw the clear wave pattern, I was sure it was a variable star and one that hadn't been discovered. It was very exciting."
Sadly, naming the star wasn't an option for Will – that is an honour reserved for those who discover comets. But his star, about 20,711 light years away, is now known as 000-BMD-525 on the association's database which is used by amateur and professional astronomers.
In addition to trying to discover more about his star's mass, composition and travel direction, Will is also keen to further study his area of sky with about $2500 in funding secured from the Astronomical Society of Victoria and iTelescope when that patch of sky reappears above the horizon from late March.
Will said he had learnt a lot from the experience. He can now read dense astrophysics papers in scientific journals and has a better idea about the scientific process. But the best lesson – and many scientists would argue the most important – is how to secure funding and resources.
"You can't just ask for things and get them, you have to put in multiple requests to use databases and telescopes," Will said.
His school and university studies will focus on the sciences and perhaps, one day, a career at a space agency.
"But I don't want to be an astronaut," he said. "I want to be somebody who does the calculations behind the scenes for rocket ships or an astronomer at a university would be pretty cool."