Variable Stars Books-1

«Variable Stars Books-1» – is a series of four methodological manuals developed by the research astronomy project team of the Clear Skies Foundation (CSF).

The first manual contains information on how to use data from the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) space telescope. The second is a collection of tips for writing scientific papers. The third is a glossary of scientific terminology focused on variable stars, and the fourth is a phrasebook designed to assist in writing scientific papers.

They are available free of charge in PDF format on the CSF website under the “Projects” section.

These educational materials were created for participants in the TESS-UA project series and were specifically adapted to their research needs. While developing the manuals, the CSF team used reliable information from the telescope’s official website, facts from scientific papers about TESS, as well as their own knowledge and experience accumulated over the years.

Thanks to “VSB-1”, you will learn:

• the basic theory of variable stars;
• what the TESS space telescope is and what makes it unique;
• how to download TESS data and why to use it.

The manuals are based on the LaTeX typesetting system, specifically using the online editor Overleaf. The content of “Variable Stars Books-1” was carefully reviewed, selected, organized, edited, and formatted so that it is convenient, simple, and, most importantly, easy to understand!

The development of “Variable Stars Books-1” took place from April to October 2023, so as of 2026, the materials in “VSB-1” have unfortunately almost completely lost their relevance. They required a significant expansion of the content, especially in the practical sections of the textbooks. The CSF Science Department therefore decided to update the information in its own way — by rewriting the manuals and modifying them. Instead of containing universal information, the new materials are divided into groups of textbooks specialized for a particular project, such as Star Hunters (“Variable Stars Books-2”), AstroLab (“Variable Stars Books-3”), and all future ones!

Please note that the updated manuals are not publicly available: only participants in the respective projects will receive them.

However, you can still explore the information provided by the “VSB-1” manual series!