ALGOL - The official magazine of
The York Astronomical Society

Continually Published Since 1973

Algol is the magazine publication produced 3 times a year by the York AS. It is provided free to YAS members, but spare copies are made available for £1 each to non-members. YAS Members can collect their free copies at the next 3 meetings following each issues' publication. After that, any remaining copies will be sold at meetings and star parties. Anyone can submit articles and items for inclusion in Algol at the editor;s discretion. Just send them to the e-mail address below, and they will reach the editor for consideration for inclusion in a following issue.

Why the name "ALGOL"?

The Dutch-born English astronomer John Goodricke was most noted for his work regarding variable stars. They were known to fluctuate in brightness well before his time, but it was Goodricke who realised why this was happening in some cases. He explained that the stars in question were not single, but double stars, one rotating around the other over a fixed time period. Algol is just such an eclipsing binary star system 93 light-years away as determined by the Hipparcos satellite. The main star is a B8 main-sequence star 3 times as large as our sun and the secondary star is a K2-type subgiant. Together they rotate around each other. When seen from Earth, one star periodically blocks our view of the light from the other star, causing its overall brightness to change. There is a very faint third star in the system. It is an F1 main-sequence star orbiting the inner pair every 1.86 years. Another type of variable star is called a "Cepheid variable", but a Cepheid's variability is caused by a different mechanism within the star itself. It was Algol that Goodricke made most of his studies on. Goodricke lived and worked in York where his observatory was situated in the Treasurer's House, behind York Minster. Today, there is plaque on the wall outside the Treasurer's House explaining his contribution to the world of astronomy. In 1960, the University of York opened a college named after him. Until the year 2000, the York A.S. held their meetings in Goodricke College. This is why the society thought it fitting to name their magazine ALGOL.

You can submit articles for inclusion in the next issue of Algol by sending them directly to the editor using the algol@yorkastro.co.uk e-mail address

The History of the Magazine

ALGOL has been produced in one form or another since 1973. In that time the editorship has passed through many hands. In the past it has been handwritten, scribbled, sit-up-and-beg typewritten, and of course word-processed. Today the magazine is issued 3 times a year.

Over the years, this tome of ours has covered all manner of subjects, including total solar eclipses, meteor shower reports, numerous comet sightings, confessions from an astronomer's diary, and even the adventures of Bongo the Bear and Colin the Cosmologist! We like to think to that these days we produce a more sensible but still entertaining magazine for our readers. After all - ALGOL is a truly international publication. In the past it has been sent to Australia, America, Germany, as well as the four corners of the British Isles.

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