Using field images from other projects such as the supernova search project, we are observing the same region of sky repeatedly over a few months time. We then run a program that views each image in a particular field and labels each star. It then organizes each star according to the probability of it being variable. Next we analyze the graphs of these sky fields and using statistics determine whether or not the star appears to be variable. These brightness changes can range from a few hundredths to as much as twenty magnitudes over periods of a fraction of a second to years,depending on the type of variable star.
Stars change in brightness when they are very young, or when they are very old or dying.
There are now over 28,000 stars known to be variable, and 14,000 more that are suspected to be changing in brightness in our galaxy, the Milky Way. This light curve was done on the rx andromeda field and came up with the known variable as variable. This substantiates our findings because we found a known variable to be variable using our methods. It offers a searchable database on variable star related topics. A mailing list on variable stars.