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American Association of Variable Star Observers

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TheAmerican Association of Variable Star Observers(AAVSO) is an internationalnonprofitorganization. Founded in 1911, the organization focuses on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archivingvariable starobservations made largely byamateur astronomers.[1]The AAVSO creates records that establishlight curvesdepicting the variation in brightness of astarover time. The AAVSO makes these records available to professionalastronomers,researchers, and educators.

Professional astronomers do not have the resources to monitor everyvariable star.Hence,astronomyis one of the few sciences where amateurscan make significant contributions to research.[2]In 2011, the 100th year of the AAVSO's existence, the twenty-millionth variable star observation was received into their database.[3]The AAVSO International Database (AID) has stored over thirty-five million observations as of 2019.[4]The organization receives nearly 1,000,000 observations annually from an estimated amount of 2,000 professional and amateur observers, and is quoted regularly in scientific journals.[5][6][7]The International Variable Star Index (VSX) website, maintained by the AAVSO, is cataloging (as of November 2023) 2,277,999 variable stars.[8]

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 co-authors. In the 1990s, the AAVSO developed the Hands-On Astrophysics curriculum, now known as Variable Star Astronomy[9](with support from theNational Science Foundation[NSF]). In 2009, the AAVSO was awarded a three-year $800,000 grant from the NSF to run Citizen Sky,[10]a pro-am collaboration project examining the 2009-2011 eclipse of the starepsilon Aurigae.[11]

The AAVSO headquarters was originally located at the residence of its founderWilliam T. OlcottinNorwich, Connecticut.

Minor Planet(8900)AAVSOis named after the organization.[12]

History

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After AAVSO's incorporation in 1918, it unofficially moved toHarvard College Observatory,which later served as the official AAVSO headquarters (1931–1953).[13]Thereafter, it moved aroundCambridgebefore their first building was purchased in 1985 - TheClinton B. FordAstronomical Data and Research Center.[14]In 2007, the AAVSO purchased and moved into the recently vacated premises ofSky & Telescopemagazine.[15]

As of September 16, 2022, the Executive Director of the AAVSO is Brian Kloppenborg. Before he assumed this role, Kathy Spirer worked in this capacity for nine months, following the resignation of Styliani ( "Stella" ) Kafka -who was in charge from February 2015 till the ember months of 2021. She succeededArne Henden.The previous director of the AAVSO for many decades wasJanet Mattei,who died in March 2004 ofleukemia.[16]

Twenty scientists, mostly men, standing for a group photograph in 1916.
AAVSO members in 1916, meeting at Harvard College Observatory. The two women in the photograph areIda E. Woods(front row) andAnnie Jump Cannon(behind Woods).

Current and former members

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Recorders and Directors
Presidents[17]
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

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See also

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References

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  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.ISBN0-684-86580-7.
  3. ^Simonsen, M. (February 23, 2011)."20 Million Observations by Amateur Astronomers".Universe Today.Archivedfrom the original on 2011-03-01.Retrieved2011-05-16.
  4. ^"35 million points and counting! | aavso.org".aavso.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-05-29.Retrieved2018-04-11.
  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.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-29.Retrieved2019-06-30.
  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. ^"The International Variable Star Index (VSX)".aavso.org.Retrieved2023-11-01.
  9. ^"Variable Star Astronomy".Archivedfrom the original on 2021-04-21.Retrieved2010-02-19.
  10. ^"Citizen Sky".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-12-01.Retrieved2019-05-17.
  11. ^"NSF.gov".Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-29.Retrieved2018-04-06.
  12. ^"(8900) AAVSO = 1995 UD2"(PDF).Minor Planet Circular.Minor Planet Center.1 May 2003.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2012-06-12.Retrieved2012-07-14.
  13. ^ Williams, T. R.; Saladyga, M. (2011).Advancing Variable Star Astronomy - The Centennial History of the American Association of Variable Star Observers.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-51912-0.
  14. ^Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research CenterArchived2006-12-31 at theWayback Machine
  15. ^"AAVSO.org".Archived fromthe originalon 2020-09-18.Retrieved2007-01-18.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^"Officers of the AAVSO since 1911".Archivedfrom the original on 2021-07-09.Retrieved2021-07-09.
  18. ^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.orgArchived2009-01-09 at theWayback Machinewhere her photograph from 1930 appears.
  19. ^"AAVSO: Part Four: The AAVSO and International Cooperation".Archivedfrom the original on 2009-06-08.Retrieved2009-07-13.
  20. ^"John E. Bortle - 2013 Leslie Peltier Award".Archived fromthe originalon 20 June 2015.Retrieved26 September2014.
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