The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) is an international
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organization, founded in 1911, focused on coordinating, analyzing, publishing, and archiving
variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...
observations made largely by
amateur astronomers
Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomer ...
. The AAVSO creates records that establish
light curves
In astronomy, a light curve is a graph of light intensity of a celestial object or region as a function of time, typically with the magnitude of light received on the y axis and with time on the x axis. The light is usually in a particular frequ ...
depicting the variation in brightness of a
star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
over time, and makes them available to professional
astronomers
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either obse ...
, researchers, and educators.
Since professional astronomers do not have the time or the resources to monitor every
variable star
A variable star is a star whose brightness as seen from Earth (its apparent magnitude) changes with time. This variation may be caused by a change in emitted light or by something partly blocking the light, so variable stars are classified as ...
,
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
is one of the few sciences where amateurs can make genuine contributions to scientific research. During 2011, the 100th year of the AAVSO's existence, the 20-millionth variable star observation was received into the database. The AAVSO International Database (AID) stores over 35 million observations as of 2019. The organization receives nearly 1,000,000 observations annually from around 2,000 professional and amateur observers and is quoted regularly in scientific journals.
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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 (with support from the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...
(NSF)). In 2009, the AAVSO was awarded a three-year $800,000 grant from the NSF to run Citizen Sky, a pro-am collaboration project examining the 2009-2011 eclipse of the star
epsilon Aurigae
Epsilon Aurigae (ε Aurigae, abbreviated Epsilon Aur, ε Aur) is a multiple star system in the northern constellation of Auriga, the charioteer. It is an unusual eclipsing binary system comprising an F0 supergiant (officially named Alma ...
.
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
Arne Henden (born 1950) is a retired American observational astronomer, instrument and software specialist, and co-discoverer of a minor planet. He formerly served as Director of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). The as ...
. The previous director of the AAVSO for many decades was
Janet Mattei
Janet may refer to:
Names
* Janet (given name)
* Janet (French singer) (1939–2011)
Surname
* Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table
* Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...
, who died in March 2004 of
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...
.
![AAVSO1916](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/AAVSO1916.png)
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
The Harvard College Observatory (HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United St ...
, which later officially provided an office as the AAVSO headquarters (1931–1953). After then it moved around
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
before purchasing their first building in 1985 - The
Clinton B. Ford
Clinton Banker Ford (March 1, 1913 – September 23, 1992) was an American investor, musician and amateur astronomer specializing in the observation of variable stars.
Birth and family
Clinton Banker Ford, born on March 1, 1913, in Ann Arbor ...
Astronomical Data and Research Center. In 2007, the AAVSO purchased and moved into the recently vacated premises of
''Sky & Telescope'' magazine.
Minor Planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
(8900) ''AAVSO'' is named after the organization.
Current and former members
;Recorders and Directors
;Presidents
;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
John E. Bortle is an American amateur astronomer. He is best known for creating the Bortle scale to quantify the darkness of the night sky.
Bortle has made a special study of comets. He has recorded thousands of observations relating to more than ...
.
See also
*
List of astronomical societies
A list of notable groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education.
Africa
* African Astronomical Society
South Africa
*Astronomical Society of Southern Africa
Asia
China
* Chinese Astronomical Society
India
* Akash Mitra Mandal
*A ...
References
External links
AAVSO websiteThe International Variable Star Index(VSX)
History of the AAVSOSpace.com, June 28, 2000
article in the January 2007 issue of ''
Sky & Telescope
''Sky & Telescope'' (''S&T'') is a monthly American magazine covering all aspects of amateur astronomy, including the following:
*current events in astronomy and space exploration;
*events in the amateur astronomy community;
*reviews of astronomic ...
'' magazine
Red Hot News… Possible Nova in Sagittarius!''
Universe Today'', August 9, 2009
100 Years of Citizen Science(1 December 2010)
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Association Of Variable Star Observers
Harvard University
Amateur astronomy organizations
Astronomy organizations
Variable stars
1911 establishments in the United States
Scientific organizations established in 1911