Foreword to the first edition

Summary

Variable star astronomy is one field in which an amateur astronomer can still make significant contributions to science. Regardless of the optical tool used, whether it is the naked eye, binoculars, a small or a large telescope, any lover of the stars can play an important role in our understanding of variable stars.

David Levy is truly a lover of stars. He is an avid observer and a discoverer of four comets, the second one found only forty minutes after he finished the final draft of this book! I have known David for over a decade as a member of the AAVSO and as a friend. His enthusiasm and his exuberance for astronomy has always impressed me. When David talks about variable stars, it is as if he is talking about his friends; they are not just stellar objects.

David is keenly aware of the difficulties that a new variable-star observer faces. He knows well that, in the beginning, locating variables and estimating their brightnesses takes lots of patience and perseverance. He also knows the joy one feels in making variable-star observations. Therefore, he makes every effort to find ways to get his reader interested in variable stars, and to make that first brightness estimate. He helps his reader to find out more about the sky, the wonderful seasonal progression of its appearance, about astronomy as it applies to variable stars, and finally more about the different types of variable stars and the individual members of each type.