visual observing

The following is a list of stars present in the VSX catalog as of 2013 March 7 that are known or suspected of being constant and have been visually observed in the past.  You should not observe these stars anymore; if they are a part of your visual observing program, please remove them immediately.

The list is divided into three parts: named variables first, followed by NSV stars, and then a small number of GSC stars.  In the case of the GSC stars, these are primarily previously used comparison stars suspected of being variable at some time in the past.

Thanks to the hard work, dedication, and persistence(!) of AAVSO member/observer Péter Molnár and Dr. László Kiss, the January 2010 edition of the "Manual for Visual Observing of Variable Stars" is now available in Hungarian.

http://www.aavso.org/visual-observing-manual-hungarian

If you know of anyone who may benefit from this translation, please spread the word!

Thanks to the efforts of Cheng Simiao, a young and very enthusiastic observer from Beijing, we now have a new, more up-to-date Chinese version of the "Manual for Visual Observing of Variable Stars" available for download. He wishes that this edition be thought of as a 100th birthday present to the AAVSO as well as an 18th birthday gift to himself.

Congratulations and many thanks to Mr. Cheng!

Welcome to the AAVSO's special webpage devoted to SN 2011fe!

SN 2011fe is the brightest supernova as seen from Earth in nearly 20 years.  It's a rare event that astronomers around the world are excited about -- it's not only a beautiful spectacle, it may also teach us new things about supernovae and the universe that we live in.  Here you'll find information on what SN 2011fe is, why astronomers around the world are watching it, and most importantly, how you can make your own observations and help create a scientific record of this supernova!

This is also available in English

This is also available in English

Las estrellas Be

El estadio Be no es sólo una etapa evolutiva en las vidas de algunas estrellas calientes de tipo B de rápida rotación sino también un fenómeno transitorio que puede ir y venir con el paso de los años en la misma estrella.  Varias razones se han propuesto para explicar el comportamiento de estas estrellas y aun están en debate.

También disponible en español

The Be stars

Be-ness is not only an evolutionary stage in the lives of some rapidly rotating hot B-type stars but also a transient phenomenon that may come and go over the years for the same star.  Several reasons have been proposed to explain the behavior of these stars and are still in debate.

The Manual for Visual Observing of Variable Stars has been updated to reflect changes to the VSP and WebObs that happened when the new website was launched last summer. This mostly affects Chapters 2 and 7. To download these and other chapters, or the entire Manual, please click on the link below:

http://www.aavso.org/visual-observing-manual

You will also find versions of the Manual translated into seven other languages on this page.

Stay tuned for the Portuguese verson, due to be completed soon!