John Goodricke FRS was an English amateur astronomer. He is best known for his observations of the variable star Algol in 1782.
John Goodricke
Marker for John Goodricke in York, England
Goodricke family vault on the grounds of Hunsingore Church.
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as either:Intrinsic variables, whose luminosity actually changes; for example, because the star periodically swells and shrinks.
Extrinsic variables, whose apparent changes in brightness are due to changes in the amount of their light that can reach Earth; for example, because the star has an orbiting companion that sometimes eclipses it.
Comparison of VLT-SPHERE images of Betelgeuse taken in January 2019 and December 2019, showing the changes in brightness and shape. Betelgeuse is an intrinsically variable star.
A photogenic variable star, Eta Carinae, embedded in the Carina Nebula
Herbig Ae/Be star V1025 Tauri
Images showing the expansion of the light echo of V838 Monocerotis