What happens to observations once an observer has submitted them to a variable-star organization like the AAVSO? It is possible to see how a particular observation compares to other data, and how it fits into measuring how a star is behaving.

According to Elizabeth Waagen, long-time assistant to the director of the AAVSO, here are the steps involved in processing an observation.

Reporting observations

(1) After making an observation, you can send it to AAVSO through its website www.aavso.org, using a program called “WebObs.” (That's how I do it.) Alternatively, you can send in observations via email. Emailed observations are automatically checked by the AAVSO for errors or omissions. A third method is the classic paper report form which, when received at AAVSO headquarters, is entered into the AAVSO database.

(2) All observations sent electronically can be viewed on the website www.aavso.org. Click on “Access Data” and “Light Curve Generator” or go directly to http://www.aavso.org/data/lcg/. Soon you will see a plot of recent observations that will show a star's light curve, the actual story of the star's behavior.

The light curve that you examine of recent data on the AAVSO website is a “quick look” representation of the data. It might come with a notice that the data have not been “validated,” meaning that the data points have not yet passed the AAVSO's strict quality control. Each one is plotted against others and added to the star's light curve.