[Aavso-photometry] [AAVSO-DIS] new comparison star database

[arne]

Michael Koppelman wrote:
> In the ideal world of high-quality sequences, it shouldn't matter  which 
> 11.2 star you used if they are both really 11.2. In the past  our 
> confidence was low that 11.2 really meant 11.2.
> 
> I know the AAVSO likes to know exactly which comp stars were used,  
> which is why uniqueness is desired, but hopefully the high-quality  
> sequences will make that somewhat academic.
> 
In the ideal world, what Mike says is correct, and certainly for CCD
observers who transform their data, the choice of comparison stars
between those with equal high quality makes little difference.

However, in the case of the current AAVSO charts, many of the sequences
have not been run through our guidelines of star color, proximity
of companions, variability, etc., and so two 112 stars are not
created equal.  A human still needs to look at these sequences,
especially when two stars have the same label, and make decisions.
It is nicer to remove any ambiguity on the charts.  However,
it is of far lower priority in my mind than getting high-quality
photometry for the remaining 10K comparison stars.
Arne