The AAVSO and Its Activities (Abstract)

Volume 35 number 1 (2007)

J. A. Mattei

Abstract

(Abstract only) The American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) collects, processes, evaluates, and makes available to researchers and educators visual, photoelectric, and CCD observations of variable stars from observers worldwide. The AAVSO International Database contains over 8.5 million observations. The AAVSO recently completed the digitizing and processing of observations going back to the founding in 1911, thus creating the world’s largest and longest (in time) database of variable star observations. The AAVSO’s history, observing programs, committees, and services to researchers and educators will be described and illustrated. Addendum, 2007: As of October 1, 2007, the AAVSO International Database contains over 15 million observations.