AAVSO Long-Period Variable Section Update (Abstract)

Volume 37 number 2 (2009)

Kate Hutton

Michael Simonsen

Abstract

(Abstract only) The first of the new AAVSO “sections” is the Long Period Variable (LPV) section. This section has decided to “own” Semiregular (SR), irregular (L), and RV Tauri (RV) stars, as well as Miras. There is an LPV Section Wiki, and there has been much discussion on the AAVSO discussion e-mail list regarding the type and number of stars that should be included in the AAVSO LPV Programs. One of our first major tasks is to produce a list of stars to recommend to observers, stars for which the observers can feel that their work will be of value in the present and future age of automated surveys. The core of the list is the AAVSO “legacy stars.” The legacy stars will include those stars that have a long and rich history with the AAVSO (more than 15,000 AAVSO observations in fifty-plus years) and those that have been the subject of many scientific publications. The remaining LPV program stars will include those with at least 5,000 observations in the AAVSO International Database, those too bright for most surveys, those that are in fields too crowded for the surveys, plus any that are specifically requested by researchers. The AAVSO Binocular Program will include stars with minima brighter than about 10th magnitude, visible in binoculars for the majority of their cycles.