[Aavso-photometry] [AAVSO-DIS] Comparison Stars for VSP/VSD are "Frozen"

[Dave Lane]

arne wrote:
> We will do this in the future, but not right now.  The problem is
> "version control."  If you report the chartID now, we know what version
> of the photometry database was used for your observation.  If your
> planetarium software vendor downloads a version of the photometry table,
> and includes it in their release, then (a) it rapidly falls out of date;
> and (b) we don't know which version of the database they used.
>   

 From the perspective of a VS observer and planetarium software author, 
I think there would be great benefit to the observer. I don't see it as 
a replacement for the official AAVSO VSP-generated charts, but as 
observing aid.

The VSP charts are great, but you can't do the things that people are 
used to doing with planetarium software, both at the telescope (eg. 
superimposing the CCD field over the "sky" in real time) and in planning 
observations (eg. picking comparison stars, determining alt/az, airmass, 
etc.) beforehand.

Regarding the data becoming stale, the database should not be 
"integrated" into any particular release of a particular planetarium 
program, but treated the way asteroid and comet orbits are - downloaded 
periodically from the net - hopefully in an easy and seamless way.

Even if the AAVSO did not permit or figure out away to handle version 
control during observation submission, it would be useful to have these 
stars plotted on our screen real-time as we observe or beforehand when 
we "plan".

--- Dave LDJ