fbpx
Wikipedia

American Association of Variable Star Observers

January 26, 2023

The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international nonprofit organization. Founded in 1911, the organization focuses on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers.[1] The AAVSO creates records that establish light curves depicting the variation in brightness of a star over time. The AAVSO makes the records available to professional astronomers, researchers, and educators.

Professional astronomers do not have the resources to monitor every variable star. Therefore, astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can make genuine contributions to scientific research.[2] During 2011, the 100th year of the AAVSO's existence, the twenty-millionth variable star observation was received into the database.[3] The AAVSO International Database (AID) stores over thirty-five million observations as of 2019.[4] The organization receives nearly 1,000,000 observations annually from around 2,000 professional and amateur observers and is quoted regularly in scientific journals.[5][6][7]

The AAVSO is also very active in education and public outreach. They routinely hold training workshops for citizen science and publish papers with amateurs as coauthors. In the 1990s, the AAVSO developed the Hands-On Astrophysics curriculum, now known as Variable Star Astronomy[8] (with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF)). In 2009, the AAVSO was awarded a three-year $800,000 grant from the NSF to run Citizen Sky,[9] a pro-am collaboration project examining the 2009-2011 eclipse of the star epsilon Aurigae.[10]

Starting on September 16, 2022, the Executive Director of the AAVSO is Brian Kloppenborg. Before him, Kathy Spirer was the Acting Executive Director for nine months, after Styliani ("Stella") Kafka -who was in charge between February 2015 and the end of 2021- resigned. She had taken over from Arne Henden. The previous director of the AAVSO for many decades was Janet Mattei, who died in March 2004 of leukemia.[11]

AAVSO members in 1916, meeting at Harvard College Observatory. The two women in the photograph are Ida E. Woods (front row) and Annie Jump Cannon (behind Woods).

The AAVSO headquarters were originally located at the residence of its founder William T. Olcott in Norwich, Connecticut.

After AAVSO's incorporation in 1918 it de facto moved to Harvard College Observatory, which later officially provided an office as the AAVSO headquarters (1931–1953).[12] After then it moved around Cambridge before purchasing their first building in 1985 - The Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center.[13] In 2007, the AAVSO purchased and moved into the recently vacated premises of Sky & Telescope magazine.[14]

Minor Planet (8900) AAVSO is named after the organization.[15]

Current and former members

Recorders and Directors
Presidents [16]
  • David B. Pickering (1917–1918)
  • Harold C. Bancroft, Jr. (1918–1919)
  • Leon Campbell (1919–1922)
  • Anne S. Young (1922–1924)
  • J. Ernest G. Yalden (1924–1926)
  • Charles C. Godfrey (1926–1927)
  • David B. Pickering (1927–1929)
  • Alice H. Farnsworth (1929–1931)
  • Harriet W. Bigelow (1931–1933)
  • Ernest W. Brown (1933–1935)
  • Harlow Shapley (1935–1937)
  • Charles W. Elmer (1937–1939)
  • Helen S. Hogg (1939–1941)
  • Dirk Brouwer (1941–1943)
  • Roy A. Seely (1943–1945)
  • Charles H. Smiley (1945–1947)
  • Marjorie Williams (1947–1948)
  • David W. Rosebrugh (1948–1949)
  • Neal J. Heines (1949–1951)
  • Martha Stahr Carpenter (1951–1954)
  • Cyrus F. Fernald (1954–1956)
  • Richard W. Hamilton (1956–1958)
  • Ralph N. Buckstaff (1958–1960)
  • E. Dorrit Hoffleit (1961–1963)
  • George Diedrich (1963–1965)
  • Edward G. Oravec (1965–1967)
  • Charles M. Good (1971–1973)
  • Casper H. Hossfield (1969–1971)
  • Frank J. DeKinder (1967–1969)
  • Charles E. Scovil (1973–1975)
  • George L. Fortier (1975–1977)
  • Marvin E. Baldwin (1977–1979)
  • Carl A. Anderson (1979–1981)
  • Arthur J. Stokes (1981–1983)
  • Ernst H. Mayer (1983–1985)
  • Thomas R. Williams (1985–1987)
  • Keith H. Danskin (1987–1989)
  • John R. Percy (1989–1991)
  • Martha Locke Hazen (1991–1992)
  • Thomas R. Williams (1992–1993)
  • Wayne M. Lowder (1993–1995)
  • Albert V. Holm (1995–1997)
  • Gary Walker (1997–1999)
  • Lee Anne Willson (1999–2001)
  • Daniel H. Kaiser (2001–2003)
  • William G. Dillon (2003–2005)
  • David B. Williams (2005–2007)
  • Paula Szkody (2007–2009)
  • Jaime R. Garcia (2009–2011)
  • Mario E. Motta (2011-2013)
  • Jennifer (Jeno) Sokoloski (2013-2015)
  • Kristine M. Larsen (2015-2018)
  • Gordon Myers (2018-2021)
  • David Cowall (2021-2024)
Other members

The AAVSO currently has over 2,000 members and observers, with approximately half of them from outside the United States. This list only consists of those with Wikipedia pages.

Publications

  • AAVSO Alert Notice.
  • Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (JAAVSO).
  • AAVSO Circular was published from 1970 until 2000 and edited by John E. Bortle.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ Saladyga, M. (1999). "The "Pre-Embryonic" State of the AAVSO: Amateur Observers of Variable Stars in the United States From 1875 to 1911". Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. 27 (2): 154–170. Bibcode:1999JAVSO..27..154S.
  2. ^ Ferris, T. (2003). Seeing in the Dark: How Amateur Astronomers Are Discovering the Wonders of the Universe. Simon & Schuster. p. 54. ISBN 0-684-86580-7.
  3. ^ Simonsen, M. (February 23, 2011). "20 Million Observations by Amateur Astronomers". Universe Today. from the original on 2011-03-01. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  4. ^ "35 million points and counting! | aavso.org". www.aavso.org. from the original on 2019-05-29. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. ^ Percy, J. R.; Desjardins, A.; Yu, L.; Landis, H. J. (2002). "Small Amplitude Red Variables in the AAVSO Photoelectric Program: Light Curves and Periods". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 108: 139. Bibcode:1996PASP..108..139P. doi:10.1086/133703.
  6. ^ Cannizzo, J. K. (2002). "The Accretion Disk Limit Cycle Model: Toward an Understanding of the Long-Term Behavior of SS Cygni". The Astrophysical Journal. 419: 318. Bibcode:1993ApJ...419..318C. doi:10.1086/173486. from the original on 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  7. ^ Kiss, L. L.; Szatmáry, K.; Cadmus, R. R. Jr.; Mattei, J. A. (1999). "Multiperiodicity in semiregular variables. I. General properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 346: 542–555. arXiv:astro-ph/9904128. Bibcode:1999A&A...346..542K.
  8. ^ "Variable Star Astronomy". from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  9. ^ . Archived from the original on 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  10. ^ "NSF.gov". from the original on 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  11. ^ Williams, T. R.; Willson, L. A. (2004). "Obituary: Janet Akyüz Mattei, 1943-2004". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 36 (5): 1681–1682. Bibcode:2004BAAS...36.1681W.
  12. ^ Williams, T. R.; Saladyga, M. (2011). Advancing Variable Star Astronomy - The Centennial History of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-51912-0.
  13. ^ Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center 2006-12-31 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ . Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
  15. ^ "(8900) AAVSO = 1995 UD2" (PDF). Minor Planet Circular. Minor Planet Center. 1 May 2003. (PDF) from the original on 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  16. ^ "Officers of the AAVSO since 1911". from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  17. ^ Dorrit Hoffleit "The Maria Mitchell Observatory: For Astronomical Research and Public Enlightenment" Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers Volume 30, 2001, p70, AAVSO.org 2009-01-09 at the Wayback Machine where her photograph from 1930 appears.
  18. ^ "AAVSO: Part Four: The AAVSO and International Cooperation". from the original on 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
  19. ^ . Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2014.

External links

  • AAVSO website
  • The International Variable Star Index (VSX)
  • History of the AAVSO
  • Space.com, June 28, 2000
  • article in the January 2007 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine
  • Red Hot News… Possible Nova in Sagittarius! Universe Today, August 9, 2009
  • 100 Years of Citizen Science (1 December 2010)

January 26, 2023
american, association, variable, star, observers, this, article, tone, style, reflect, encyclopedic, tone, used, wikipedia, wikipedia, guide, writing, better, articles, suggestions, december, 2022, learn, when, remove, this, template, message, aavso, internati. This article s tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia See Wikipedia s guide to writing better articles for suggestions December 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message The American Association of Variable Star Observers AAVSO is an international nonprofit organization Founded in 1911 the organization focuses on coordinating analyzing publishing and archiving variable star observations made largely by amateur astronomers 1 The AAVSO creates records that establish light curves depicting the variation in brightness of a star over time The AAVSO makes the records available to professional astronomers researchers and educators Professional astronomers do not have the resources to monitor every variable star Therefore astronomy is one of the few sciences where amateurs can make genuine contributions to scientific research 2 During 2011 the 100th year of the AAVSO s existence the twenty millionth variable star observation was received into the database 3 The AAVSO International Database AID stores over thirty five million observations as of 2019 4 The organization receives nearly 1 000 000 observations annually from around 2 000 professional and amateur observers and is quoted regularly in scientific journals 5 6 7 The AAVSO is also very active in education and public outreach They routinely hold training workshops for citizen science and publish papers with amateurs as coauthors In the 1990s the AAVSO developed the Hands On Astrophysics curriculum now known as Variable Star Astronomy 8 with support from the National Science Foundation NSF In 2009 the AAVSO was awarded a three year 800 000 grant from the NSF to run Citizen Sky 9 a pro am collaboration project examining the 2009 2011 eclipse of the star epsilon Aurigae 10 Starting on September 16 2022 the Executive Director of the AAVSO is Brian Kloppenborg Before him Kathy Spirer was the Acting Executive Director for nine months after Styliani Stella Kafka who was in charge between February 2015 and the end of 2021 resigned She had taken over from Arne Henden The previous director of the AAVSO for many decades was Janet Mattei who died in March 2004 of leukemia 11 AAVSO members in 1916 meeting at Harvard College Observatory The two women in the photograph are Ida E Woods front row and Annie Jump Cannon behind Woods The AAVSO headquarters were originally located at the residence of its founder William T Olcott in Norwich Connecticut After AAVSO s incorporation in 1918 it de facto moved to Harvard College Observatory which later officially provided an office as the AAVSO headquarters 1931 1953 12 After then it moved around Cambridge before purchasing their first building in 1985 The Clinton B Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center 13 In 2007 the AAVSO purchased and moved into the recently vacated premises of Sky amp Telescope magazine 14 Minor Planet 8900 AAVSO is named after the organization 15 Contents 1 Current and former members 2 Publications 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksCurrent and former members EditRecorders and DirectorsWilliam T Olcott 1911 1918 Founder Leon Campbell 1915 1949 Margaret Mayall 1949 1973 Janet A Mattei AAVSO Director 1973 2003 Elizabeth O Waagen 2003 2005 Arne Henden 2005 2015 Styliani Stella Kafka 2015 2021 Kathy Spirer 2022 Brian Kloppenborg 2022 Presidents 16 David B Pickering 1917 1918 Harold C Bancroft Jr 1918 1919 Leon Campbell 1919 1922 Anne S Young 1922 1924 J Ernest G Yalden 1924 1926 Charles C Godfrey 1926 1927 David B Pickering 1927 1929 Alice H Farnsworth 1929 1931 Harriet W Bigelow 1931 1933 Ernest W Brown 1933 1935 Harlow Shapley 1935 1937 Charles W Elmer 1937 1939 Helen S Hogg 1939 1941 Dirk Brouwer 1941 1943 Roy A Seely 1943 1945 Charles H Smiley 1945 1947 Marjorie Williams 1947 1948 David W Rosebrugh 1948 1949 Neal J Heines 1949 1951 Martha Stahr Carpenter 1951 1954 Cyrus F Fernald 1954 1956 Richard W Hamilton 1956 1958 Ralph N Buckstaff 1958 1960 E Dorrit Hoffleit 1961 1963 George Diedrich 1963 1965 Edward G Oravec 1965 1967 Charles M Good 1971 1973 Casper H Hossfield 1969 1971 Frank J DeKinder 1967 1969 Charles E Scovil 1973 1975 George L Fortier 1975 1977 Marvin E Baldwin 1977 1979 Carl A Anderson 1979 1981 Arthur J Stokes 1981 1983 Ernst H Mayer 1983 1985 Thomas R Williams 1985 1987 Keith H Danskin 1987 1989 John R Percy 1989 1991 Martha Locke Hazen 1991 1992 Thomas R Williams 1992 1993 Wayne M Lowder 1993 1995 Albert V Holm 1995 1997 Gary Walker 1997 1999 Lee Anne Willson 1999 2001 Daniel H Kaiser 2001 2003 William G Dillon 2003 2005 David B Williams 2005 2007 Paula Szkody 2007 2009 Jaime R Garcia 2009 2011 Mario E Motta 2011 2013 Jennifer Jeno Sokoloski 2013 2015 Kristine M Larsen 2015 2018 Gordon Myers 2018 2021 David Cowall 2021 2024 Other membersThe AAVSO currently has over 2 000 members and observers with approximately half of them from outside the United States This list only consists of those with Wikipedia pages Leah B Allen Charter Member 17 Joseph Ashbrook Rosina Dafter Radha Gobinda Chandra 18 Robert Evans AAVSO Supernova Search Committee Chairperson 1985 2005 Clinton B Ford Russell Merle Genet Pamela L Gay Edward A Halbach Phoebe Waterman Haas Carolyn Hurless Richard Huziak Albert F A L Jones Michael Koppelman Giovanni B Lacchini Helen Lines Richard D Lines Ben Mayer Ruth J Northcott Arto Oksanen M Daniel Overbeek Leslie Peltier Lois Tripp Slocum Peter Francis Williams Ida E WoodsPublications EditAAVSO Alert Notice Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers JAAVSO AAVSO Circular was published from 1970 until 2000 and edited by John E Bortle 19 See also EditList of astronomical societiesReferences Edit Saladyga M 1999 The Pre Embryonic State of the AAVSO Amateur Observers of Variable Stars in the United States From 1875 to 1911 Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers 27 2 154 170 Bibcode 1999JAVSO 27 154S Ferris T 2003 Seeing in the Dark How Amateur Astronomers Are Discovering the Wonders of the Universe Simon amp Schuster p 54 ISBN 0 684 86580 7 Simonsen M February 23 2011 20 Million Observations by Amateur Astronomers Universe Today Archived from the original on 2011 03 01 Retrieved 2011 05 16 35 million points and counting aavso org www aavso org Archived from the original on 2019 05 29 Retrieved 2018 04 11 Percy J R Desjardins A Yu L Landis H J 2002 Small Amplitude Red Variables in the AAVSO Photoelectric Program Light Curves and Periods Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 108 139 Bibcode 1996PASP 108 139P doi 10 1086 133703 Cannizzo J K 2002 The Accretion Disk Limit Cycle Model Toward an Understanding of the Long Term Behavior of SS Cygni The Astrophysical Journal 419 318 Bibcode 1993ApJ 419 318C doi 10 1086 173486 Archived from the original on 2022 01 29 Retrieved 2019 06 30 Kiss L L Szatmary K Cadmus R R Jr Mattei J A 1999 Multiperiodicity in semiregular variables I General properties Astronomy and Astrophysics 346 542 555 arXiv astro ph 9904128 Bibcode 1999A amp A 346 542K Variable Star Astronomy Archived from the original on 2021 04 21 Retrieved 2010 02 19 Citizen Sky Archived from the original on 2016 12 01 Retrieved 2019 05 17 NSF gov Archived from the original on 2022 01 29 Retrieved 2018 04 06 Williams T R Willson L A 2004 Obituary Janet Akyuz Mattei 1943 2004 Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 36 5 1681 1682 Bibcode 2004BAAS 36 1681W Williams T R Saladyga M 2011 Advancing Variable Star Astronomy The Centennial History of the American Association of Variable Star Observers Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 51912 0 Clinton B Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center Archived 2006 12 31 at the Wayback Machine AAVSO org Archived from the original on 2020 09 18 Retrieved 2007 01 18 8900 AAVSO 1995 UD2 PDF Minor Planet Circular Minor Planet Center 1 May 2003 Archived PDF from the original on 2012 06 12 Retrieved 2012 07 14 Officers of the AAVSO since 1911 Archived from the original on 2021 07 09 Retrieved 2021 07 09 Dorrit Hoffleit The Maria Mitchell Observatory For Astronomical Research and Public Enlightenment Journal of the American Association of Variable Star Observers Volume 30 2001 p70 AAVSO org Archived 2009 01 09 at the Wayback Machine where her photograph from 1930 appears AAVSO Part Four The AAVSO and International Cooperation Archived from the original on 2009 06 08 Retrieved 2009 07 13 John E Bortle 2013 Leslie Peltier Award Archived from the original on 20 June 2015 Retrieved 26 September 2014 External links EditAAVSO website The International Variable Star Index VSX History of the AAVSO Amateur Astronomy Reaches New Heights Space com June 28 2000 A New Foundation for the AAVSO article in the January 2007 issue of Sky amp Telescope magazine Red Hot News Possible Nova in Sagittarius Universe Today August 9 2009 100 Years of Citizen Science 1 December 2010 Portals United States Astronomy Stars Spaceflight Outer space Solar System Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title American Association of Variable Star Observers amp oldid 1129132735, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.