Astronomers in Kyiv, Ukraine, detected the beginning of a new outburst of the cataclysmic variable Gaia20cnt (ASASSN-14fc) using a Unistellar eVscope provided through the Astronomy for Equity program. The detection triggered follow-up observations with the 70-cm AZT-8 telescope at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The observations suggest that Gaia20cnt may be an SS Cyg-type dwarf nova (UGSS), a binary system in which material transferred onto a white dwarf periodically produces strong optical outbursts. Continued observations are now encouraged to better characterize the system. What makes this particularly significant is where the observations were made. Ukrainian astronomers continue to conduct research from Kyiv despite the war and increasingly serious electricity constraints. The team told Mike Simmons that conventional observatory operations may become difficult this winter because of power availability, making small, autonomous telescopes such as the eVscope potentially important tools for keeping astronomical observations going. This is a small but powerful example of how distributed, relatively inexpensive astronomical instruments can maintain scientific capability even under extremely difficult conditions. astronomerstelegram.org/?rea…