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We report on spectroscopic and photometric observations of the S-type Mira V667 Cas and the carbon star Mira OR Cep recorded during one pulsation cycle of each star in 2022. Spectra are calibrated in absolute flux using concurrent photometry. We present measurements of V and Ic magnitudes and V-Ic colour index, classify spectra in the revised MK system and investigate how absolute flux in the H-alpha to H-delta emission lines varies with pulsation phase for each star., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures

We present the results of a multi-wavelength Pro-Am campaign to study the behaviour of flares from the active M1.5V star binary CR Draconis. CR Dra was observed with TESS 20-s photometry, Swift near-UV (NUV) grism spectroscopy and with ground-based optical photometry and spectroscopy from a global collaboration of amateur astronomers. We detected 14 flares with TESS and Swift simultaneously, one of which also had simultaneous ground-based photometry and spectroscopy. We used the simultaneous two-colour optical and NUV observations to characterise the temperature evolution of the flare and test the accuracy of using optical data to predict NUV emission. We measured a peak temperature of $7100^{+150}_{-130}$ K for this flare, cooler than the typically assumed 9000 K blackbody model used by flare studies. We also found that the 9000 K blackbody overestimated the NUV flux for other flares in our sample, which we attributed to our Swift observations occurring during flare decays, highlighting the phase-dependence for the accuracy of flare models., Comment: Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Spectroscopy and photometry of the Asymptotic Giant Branch star T Cephei were recorded concurrently on 36 nights during its 387 day pulsation cycle in 2022. Photometry was used to calibrate all spectra in absolute flux. We report on the variation of B and V magnitudes, B-V colour index, spectral type, effective temperature and Balmer emission line flux during one complete pulsation cycle., Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in the Journal of the AAVSO. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2107.10061

Lightcurves of many classical novae deviate from the canonical "fast rise - smooth decline" pattern and display complex variability behavior. We present the first TESS-space-photometry-based investigation of this phenomenon. We use TESS Sector 41 full-frame images to extract a lightcurve of the slow Galactic nova V606 Vul that erupted nine days prior to the start of the TESS observations. The lightcurve covers the first of two major peaks of V606 Vul that was reached 19 days after the start of the eruption. The nova reached its brightest visual magnitude V=9.9 in its second peak 64 days after the eruption onset, following the completion of Sector 41 observations. To increase the confidence level of the extracted lightcurve, we performed the analysis using four different codes implementing the aperture photometry (Lightkurve, VaST) and image subtraction (TESSreduce, tequila_shots) and find good agreement between them. We performed ground-based photometric and spectroscopic monitoring to complement the TESS data. The TESS lightcurve reveals two features: periodic variations (0.12771d, 0.01mag average peak-to-peak amplitude) that disappeared when the source was within 1mag of peak optical brightness and a series of isolated mini-flares (with peak-to-peak amplitudes of up to 0.5mag) appearing at seemingly random times. We interpret the periodic variations as the result of azimuthal asymmetry of the photosphere engulfing the nova-hosting binary that was distorted by and rotating with the binary. Whereas we use spectra to associate the two major peaks in the nova lightcurve with distinct episodes of mass ejection, the origin of mini-flares remains elusive., Comment: 31 pages, 10 figures, submitted to ApJ; comments welcome

TU Tau (= HD 38218 = HIP 27135) is a binary system consisting of a C-N carbon star primary and an A-type secondary. We report on new photometry and spectroscopy which tracked the recent disappearance of the A-star secondary. The dimming of the A-star was gradual and irregular, with one or more brief brightenings, implying the presence of nonhomogeneities in the carbon star outflow. We also present evidence that the A-star is actively accreting s-process enriched material from the carbon star and suggest that it will therefore eventually evolve into a Barium giant. This is an important system as well because the A-type star can serve as a probe of the outer atmosphere of the carbon star., Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables, a number of amateur observatories made significant contributions to this research. Paper accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

SW Sex stars are an informal sub-class of eclipsing nova-like cataclysmic variables. We report 934 new eclipse times measured over the past 17 years for HS 0728+6738 (V482 Cam), SW Sex, DW UMa, HS 0129+2933 (TT Tri), V1315 Aql, PX And, HS 0455+8315, HS 0220+0603, BP Lyn, BH Lyn, LX Ser, UU Aqr, V1776 Cyg, RW Tri, 1RXS J064434.5+334451, AC Cnc, V363 Aur, and BT Mon. When combined with published eclipse times going back in some cases many decades, we show that these binary systems exhibit a range of behaviors, including increasing, decreasing, and possibly oscillating orbital periods. Nevertheless, the duration of these observations is still not long enough to be able to make reliable quantitative statements about their long term behaviors. In addition to these long term trends, we also observed rapid and unusual decreases in the orbital periods of SW Sex and RW Tri during 2017 and 2018, respectively., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures