Long period cariable stars

[nikos paschalis]

Hello all
I am observing variable stars but until now all my observation are around d-scuti or similar very short period variable stars.
1.Could anyone help me for the pre-schedule of observing longer period as 5-10 days or more?
2.How many times per night or so - How long apart etc, so I can have a succesful curve...
3.What software I can use to plot the curve and publish in my site?

Thanks in advance
Nikos

[Eric Dose]

I would very much advise you to visit the American Association of Variable Star Observers at www.aavso.org. They have advice on delta Scuti stars, on recommendations for observing frequency ("cadence"), and light curve plotting tools where you can see what a given star has done in the past. And a lot more. I've been a member for 9 years, and it's the best thing that ever happened to my observing.

EDIT: There also exist other, more general organizations that offer help on variable stars, notably the British Astronomical Association www.britastro.org .

[Bob Denny]

Very good advice. We are going to the AAVSO 108th Annual Meeting "Science Under the Same Dark Skies" in a couple of weeks. There is a huge amount of info on the main site, including scheduling, requests, and tools.