[Aavso-photometry] The New HOA == Variable Star Astronomy (VSA)

[arne]

Hands On Astrophysics was a major initiative of the AAVSO
during the 1990's.  It was funded by a grant from NSF, and
resulted in a great package that taught astrophysical
concepts through the study of variable stars.  The package
contained an excellent manual in a 3-ring binder; a VHS
tape; 35mm slides, hardcopy photos and finding charts of
stellar fields, and even a complete software package that
could display light curves and do basic period searches.
The package was geared towards the educator, though many
copies were sold to individuals.

This package was very expensive for the AAVSO to produce.
We had depleted most of the stock about the time that I
became Director.  Donna Young and I sat down together,
and she expressed interest in bringing this package into
the modern world.  This made perfect sense to me - she was
one of the primary authors of the original HOA manual,
and was willing to perform the work as a volunteer.  She
began the process by converting a few chapters to use on
her Chandra site, and slowly worked through the remaining
chapters with the help of several of her coworkers (especially
Pamela Perry).

I am proud to announce that the entire manual and most
of the supporting material is again available through the
AAVSO website, this time for free.  As linked through
the home page:
http://www.aavso.org/education/vsa/
you can download individual chapters or supporting material.
The software, VSTAR, has yet to be converted from its original
DOS roots (we are looking for a grant to cover this cost), but
we hope that it will happen sooner than later.  Note also
that Donna was unhappy with the original "Astrophysics" title,
as she felt that it frightened away some potential readers,
and so has renamed the curriculum "Variable Star Astronomy."
It is the same manual and material, though updated with
modern links.

I hope you enjoy the final product as much as I have, and
use it frequently in your classrooms and club activities.
Arne