The asynchronous polar V1432 Aquilae and its path back to synchronism

V1432 Aquilae is the only known eclipsingasynchronous polar. In this respect it is unique and therefore merits our attention. We report the results of a 15-year campaign by the globally distributed Centerfor Backyard Astrophysics to observe V1432 Aql and investigate its return to synchronism. Originally knocked out of synchrony by a nova explosion before observing records began, the magnetic white dwarfin V1432 Aql is currently rotating slower than the orbital periodbut is gradually catching up. The fortuitously high inclination of the binary orbit affords us the bonus of eclipsesproviding a regular clock against which these temporal changes can be assessed. At the present rate, synchronism should be achieved around 2100. The continually changing trajectory of the accretion stream as it follows the magnetic field lines of the rotating white dwarfproduces a complex pattern of light emission which we have measured and documented, providing comprehensive observational evidence against which physical models of the system can be tested.