The Maria Mitchell Observatory monitors variable stars photographically and has lately begun to receive photometric data remotely. The staff consists solely of the director and undergraduate student assistants during summer and January vacations. Research topics are chosen for both their scientific interest and their educational potential.

The scientific goal is to improve variable-star statistics by answering any unresolved observational questions. Lately the emphasis is on pulsators in the Cepheid instability strip. Can we watch the stars grow older? We look for deviations from a single, constant period.