The AAVSO Binocular Program consists of 153 stars in the northern and southern hemispheres. They are mostly semi-regulars and Miras, with a few other types sprinkled in. Most of the stars range between 3.0 and 9.5V and can be observed best using simple hand held binoculars.
This page is a work in progress. Please help by suggesting more resources and reading material.
The AAVSO Bulletin: Predicted Dates of Maxima and Minima of Long Period Variables was a long-running publication of the AAVSO. It gave predictions of dates of maxima and minima for hundreds of long period variables (Miras and semiregulars) in the AAVSO program, and was intended to be an observing guide and planning tool for all observers of LPV stars, amateur and professional alike.
One of the ongoing questions for visual observers has been, “What can I observe that is still scientifically useful?” The answers to this have changed over the last decade, and will continue to evolve as conditions change.
You can observe whatever you want, of course. For many of us, observing variable stars is fun and addictive, and we’d continue to observe some of our favorite stars forever even if there were little chance of our observations being ‘scientifically useful’.
