IN RECOGNITION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF VARIABLE STAR OBSERVERS

Mr. BROWN of California:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding contributions that amateur astronomers from around the world have made to our understanding of some of the most profound questions that have confronted mankind—the evolution of the universe. In the very brief period in which humans have had the ability to look up and ponder our place in the universe, we have transcended a time in which religious dictate required a belief that the heavens were unchanging, to one in which we accept change as the status quo.

We now know that stars change. Sometimes the change is dramatic and visible to all such as the supernova explosion in 1987. More often, the changes are subtle to the casual observer. Yet these subtle changes in star brightness due to pulsations and eruptions and eclipses behind intervening objects are crucial in understanding the nature of the universe and its ultimate fate.

Mr. Speaker, in 1911 the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) was founded at the Harvard College Observatory. This independent research organization is dedicated to coordinating the observations of variable stars by amateur astronomers in 46 participating countries.

AAVSO receives, digitizes, and archives over 300,000 observations yearly from 300 to 350 observers. Since its founding, AAVSO has catalogued over 5.5 million observations from 4000 observers. AAVSO boasts the largest and longest running computer readable accessible variable star catalogue in existence.

This valuable database is used to help schedule precious observing time by the large public and privately operated observatories, to carry out collaborative research in analyzing the long term behavior of variable stars, and finally by educators and students.

In 1995, NASA conducted a major study of cataclysmic variable stars by the ASTRO-2 telescope during the Space Shuttle mission STS-67. During the course of this mission, NASA depended on AAVSO for critical guidance in identifying the best variable star targets. This coordinated research program resulted in a superb database on ten cataclysmic variable stars that has provided a wealth of scientific understanding. Since then, AAVSO has worked with NASA to coordinate observations on the Hubble Space Telescope, the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer, the X-Ray Timing Explorer, the International Ultraviolet Explorer, and many other international space borne telescopes.

Mr. Speaker, the astronomy community has had a long tradition of active participation by amateurs since the time of Galileo. The vitality of this discipline is evident in magazine shelves worldwide that carry astronomy-related publications. AAVSO itself publishes its own highly respected journal to disseminate latest results and scientific concepts.

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend AAVSO for its outstanding work and over eighty years of productive contributions to the field of astronomy.