Amateur Observing Patterns and Their Potential Impact on Variable Star Science

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Scientific paper

In this poster I highlight some trends seen in amateur observations submitted to the AAVSO over the past 50 years. Some systematic trends are noted in both the amount of data submitted and the frequency with which stars are observed. Two trends are particularly notable: the decreasing number of days per year when individual stars are observed, and the overal decreasing number of visual observations submitted. The former is shown through an analysis of data submitted for a number of subclasses of cataclysmic variable, while the latter is generally evident across all variable star types through our overall annual totals. A decrease in nightly coverage may impact the kinds of science that can be done with AAVSO light curves, particularly for dwarf novae that can change on a nightly basis. The decrease in visual observing may result in either a loss of long-term coverage which impacts the usability of log-term light curves, or in a change from visual to instrumental coverage which can impact the statistical properties of the data making it more challenging to extract physical information. I discuss possible impacts on the kinds of science that can be done with AAVSO data and long-term light curves generally, & suggest ways to address this issue.

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