Hints on Searching the Quick Look File

The Quick Look file is a first-glance look at some of the most recent observations received at the AAVSO. The data in the file is exactly as submitted by observers and has undergone no quality control checks.

Simply enter a string in the form to search the data. The program will go through each observation and look for that string. It can be the star's designation, name, an observer code, a comment, a date, etc. If you enter a string in both boxes then only results will be shown thatmatch both strings. This is useful to narrow down listings of stars with large amounts of observations.

Name Changes For New Stars

It can be difficult to search for all data on a new star because it changes names. When a new nova is discovered, for example, it is given a preliminary name by the IAU (ex: N SGR 01). After a few days the permanent GCVS name will be released by the Sternberg Astronomical Institute in Russia (ex: N SGR 01 became V4643 SGR). So you will want to search for data using both names.

Designation Changes

With that said, the AAVSO designation for the star (ex: 1748-26) will not change. So if you search for 1748-26 you will get all observations submitted as N SGR 01 and V4642 SGR. However, there is a catch here also. (Isn't that always the case?) Some people will submit data on a star without knowing the proper designation or name to give. These people use 9999+99 in those cases (the 9999+99 designation will be converted to the true designation by AAVSO HQ staff during data processing). In that case, searching by designation will not work. However, this is usually a very small number of observations so we recommend searching by designation when possible.

Database

The Quick Look file contains data we have received but has not yet been placed in the Official AAVSO International Database. Normally it takes 2 months to process data. However, sometimes that period can be longer or shorter. As such, the size of the Quick Look file fluctuates. If it is large, then we are behind in our data processing. If it is short, then we are ahead!

In all cases, by using the online light curve generator you can get all AAVSO data in one step. The light curve generator uses both the Official AAVSO International Database and also the Quick Look file. The two databases are merged seamlessly.

If you have any questions feel free to contact us.