American Association of Variable Star Observers

The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an American association for the study of variable stars . The association was founded in 1911.

purpose

The AAVSO collects, analyzes, publishes and archives observation data of variable stars. A large part of the data is based on observations by amateur astronomers . This is crucial because observing these stars is still time consuming today and professional astronomers often do not have enough time to observe stars over long periods of time. With variable stars, the course of the light curve over a longer period of time is decisive , from which conclusions can be drawn about the processes in the stars.

RS Ophiuchi - AAVSO light curve of an outbreak of brightness in 2005

Regular AAVSO light curve of the red giant Mira

AAVSO International Database

The AAVSO database currently contains around 34 million variable star observations, with some data series dating back over 100 years. Every year about 1 million new data are fed into the database by 700 observers. Over two thirds of all data comes from outside the USA. Among other things, light curves can be generated from the data.

Variable Star Index

The Variable Star Index (VSX) is an online catalog that currently provides data on around 600,000 stars, most of which are variable. Various other data sources such as the General Catalog of Variable Stars (GCVS) are integrated and summarized. As a result, this catalog contains a large amount of data with a relatively current status, but does not correspond to a homogeneous amount of data, as the sources are often different. The catalog also offers its own classification of variable stars, which is very similar to that of the GCVS but has some deviations in detail. Overall, the number of star classes is slightly higher than in the last version of the GCVS.

organization

The AAVSO is an international non-profit organization . Today it is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts with members in over 100 different countries. This makes it the largest association for observing variable stars.

Trivia

The minor planet (8900) AAVSO is named after the organization.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ M. Saladyga: The "pre-embryonic" state of the AAVSO: Amateur Observers of Variable Stars in the United States From 1875 to 1911 . In: Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers . 27, No. 2, 1999, pp. 154-170. bibcode : 1999JAVSO..27..154S .
↑ http://www.aavso.org/history-aavso
^ T. Ferris: Seeing in the Dark: How Amateur Astronomers Are Discovering the Wonders of the Universe . Simon & Schuster , 2003, ISBN 0-684-86580-7 , p. 54.
^ The AAVSO International Database. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .
^ The International Variable Star Index. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .
↑ Vision / Mission. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .

[1] M. Saladyga: The "pre-embryonic" state of the AAVSO: Amateur Observers of Variable Stars in the United States From 1875 to 1911 . In: Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers . 27, No. 2, 1999, pp. 154-170. bibcode : 1999JAVSO..27..154S .

[2] ttp://www.aavso.org/history-aavso

[3] T. Ferris: Seeing in the Dark: How Amateur Astronomers Are Discovering the Wonders of the Universe . Simon & Schuster , 2003, ISBN 0-684-86580-7 , p. 54.

[AAVSO_DB-4] The AAVSO International Database. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .

[AAVSO_VSX-5] The International Variable Star Index. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .

[AAVSO_Org-6] Vision / Mission. Retrieved January 29, 2019 .