[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

David,

Apologies for the delay in replying.

There are several nice ones. Ruby Crucis is one of the best. All Carbon stars appear redest when they are dimmest, it depends on what aspect you find appealing. I like some of the brighter ones which are not as red as some of the dimmer ones. But I also like a couple of the dim variables which are blood red when at their dimmest.

Some nice ones include:-

R Fornacis, which has scientific significance in that it is also a Mira (Omicron Ceti) type variable. It's magnitude varies from about 7.5 to 13.0 over a period of about 450 days. This is not visible at this time of year.

X Cancri. Quite bright at about Mag 6 but presently only visible early evening.

U Antliae. Another reasonably bright one at about mag 6 with about 1 mag of variability. Currently well placed for observation.

R Centuari. Is another nice 1 and again is a mira type varibale. Currently perfectly placed for observation.

R Leporus. This is also known as Hind's Crimson star. It is also a mira type variable and is at its redest when it is dimmest, which is only 1 month every 14. It is currently just west of Sirius and only visible very early evening from Sydney. It is arguably the redest star in the sky, when dimmest.

CS-John B