Message from the President

Lee Anne Willson passed the AAVSO president’s gavel to me at the November meeting. Although quite light in my hand, I felt its true weight. It was with a great sense of responsibility I accepted this symbol of our organization. It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of not only Lee Anne, but all the past presidents of the AAVSO.

Shortly after that ceremony Dorrit Hoffleit informed me of the history of the gavel. Harlow Shapley had given it to her. She in turn had passed it to the AAVSO. It was yet another reminder of the significant history of the AAVSO.

We all should feel pride in being part of this organization. The AAVSO is exceptional. There are few examples of such close cooperation between professional and amateur scientists. Where else, other than the AAVSO, do you hear stories of backyard observers reporting observations that are used to determine if a NASA satellite will observe a star or not? Where else will you find a database of variable star observations over 10 million strong, other than the AAVSO’s International Database? With each of those 10 million data points collected one at a time, eyeball to the eyepiece, by observers like you. And all of this information is available to whomever wishes to investigate, be it professional astronomer, educator, or amateur scientist.

Few organizations can claim they collect meaningful data on objects as close as our sun, and as far away as the outer reaches of our galaxy, and beyond. We track the behavior of long period mira stars, eclipsing binaries, cataclysmic variables, and even catch visible traces of those enigmatic gamma-ray bursts.

Yes, the AAVSO is unique and so is each of its members. You the membership, have made the AAVSO what it is today. We all can take pride in our past, get excited over tonight’s observations, and look forward to the future. We do live in exciting times, and I am truly honored to serve as your president.

Wishing you all clear, dark skies,
Dan Kaiser

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