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The AAVSO
The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is a non-profit scientific and educational organization founded in 1911. It is the largest organization of variable star observers worldwide, with members in over 40 countries. Its purpose is to coordinate variable star observations made largely by dedicated amateur astronomers, evaluate the accuracy of these observations, compile, process, and publish them, and make them available to researchers, educators, and those who love variable stars. AAVSO Headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, now receives over 350,000 observations yearly, from 550 observers worldwide, over half of whom live outside of the United States. Since the founding of the AAVSO in 1911, we have compiled over 8.5 million observations of variable stars.
AAVSO Services to the Astronomical Community
The AAVSO provides a wide range of services to the astronomical community. AAVSO International Database data, both published and unpublished, are disseminated extensively to astronomers around the world, upon request, and are becoming increasingly available from the AAVSO web site as well.
AAVSO data and services have been used, referenced, and acknowledged in hundreds of professional astronomical publications.
AAVSO services are sought by astronomers for many purposes, including:
- real-time, up-to-date information on unusual stellar activity;
- assistance in the scheduling and executing of variable star observing programs coordinating earth-based large telescopes and instruments aboard satellites;
- assistance in simultaneous optical observations of program stars and immediate notification of their activity during earth-based or satellite observing programs;
- correlation of AAVSO optical data with spectroscopic, photometric, and polarimetric multi-wavelength data;
- collaborative statistical analysis of stellar behavior using long-term AAVSO data.
Collaboration between the AAVSO and professional astronomers for real-time information or simultaneous optical observations has enabled the successful execution of hundreds of observing programs, particularly those using satellites such as Apollo-Soyuz, High Energy Astronomical Observatories 1 and 2 (HEAO 1 and 2), International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT), European X-Ray Observatory Satellite (EXOSAT), High Precision Parallax Collecting Satellite (HIPPARCOS), Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
A significant number of rare events have been observed with these satellites as a result of timely notification by the AAVSO.
AAVSO data and services may be obtained by writing to the Director of the AAVSO, Dr. Janet Mattei, at AAVSO Headquarters and stating the purpose of the request and the type of AAVSO data or services needed.
