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AAVSO Membership

Membership Benefits

Your membership in the AAVSO has several benefits, including:

New members of the AAVSO also receive our New Member Kit which includes:

  • New Member acceptance letter, membership certificate, and AAVSO decals
  • A copy of the By-Laws of the AAVSO, the most recent AAVSO Newsletter, AAVSO Bulletin, AAVSO Journal, and AAVSO Annual Report
  • The 10 Star Tutorial for those new to visual variable star observing
  • A copy of our Manual for Visual Observing of Variable Stars, and Getting started manuals for CCD and PEP observing,
  • A user guide to the AAVSO's Variable Star Plotter -- our online chart-making utility, and
  • A number of reference documents covering topics such as Julian Day, object naming, easy to observe stars, and the AAVSO Mentoring Program.

But one of the most important benefits is what your membership does for the AAVSO. By supporting the AAVSO with an Annual ($60/year) or Sustaining ($120/year) membership, you show us that what we do is important to you and to the science of variable star astronomy. Your membership helps us pursue original research, provide research support to professional astronomers, enable data collection and preservation and enable us to maintain our website, and support astronomy education and public outreach. And your participation in the community -- through attending meetings, participating in our discussion forums, serving on the AAVSO Council, contributing data to the AAVSO International Database, or submitting research papers to the Journal of the AAVSO -- helps to strengthen the connection between observers, researchers, and educators in the variable star community. Our members have made the AAVSO what it is today and we hope that you will be one of them!

Who Are AAVSO Members?

If you are:

  • A variable star observer -- amateur or professional -- who wants to support the AAVSO above and beyond your contribution of data,
  • A professional astronomer who uses AAVSO data and services, and wants to support the AAVSO and our mission to encourage variable star research,
  • An educator who wants to share variable star astronomy with your students,
  • A student just beginning your career in the sciences, or
  • Anyone interested in the science and history of variable star astronomy, or in the collaboration of amateur and citizen scientists in astronomical research

then you are the sort of person who belongs in the American Association of Variable Star Observers! From its earliest days, the AAVSO has been made up of both amateur and professional astronomers, including some of the most important and influential astronomers of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Today, the AAVSO membership numbers over 1000 amateur and professional astronomers all over the world devoted to variable star research -- and you should be one of them! We need you to support the work that the AAVSO does in variable star astronomy, and to contribute your knowledge, skills, and expertise to further our mission. Please consider joining today!

How Do I Join?

If you are new to the AAVSO Click Here to Join the AAVSO

If you are already a member Click Here to Renew Membership

If you would prefer to apply by mail you can print out this form and mail it to AAVSO, 49 Bay State Road, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
 
Returning members can also fill out and print this 2013 membership renewal form and mail it to AAVSO, 49 Bay State Road, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.  If you have not yet paid your 2012 dues, please contact the AAVSO and we can send you a copy of the 2012 renewal form.
 
We accept payment by credit card or check. If you would rather call in your credit card information, or have questions about membership or about the AAVSO in general, please call us at +1 (617) 354-0484 Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm (Eastern, US).
Page Editor: SXN
Last Updated: May 10, 2013 - 3:50pm
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AAVSO 49 Bay State Rd. Cambridge, MA 02138 aavso@aavso.org 617-354-0484