AAVSO on the Web
by Aaron Price Plan Your Observations with the Chart Search Engine
The online chart search engine has been upgraded to allow searches by variable type (according to the GCVS). This makes the search engine a great tool for not only downloading charts but planning observing sessions. For example, you can now tell the search engine to “Show me all Miras in Orion, between -20 and 20 degrees, for which we have e-scale reversed charts.” A Windows version of this search engine written for our variable star chart CDROM should be available on the web site within a couple of months. The URL is /observing/charts/ .
Give Credit Where Credit is Due
The light curve generator now lists observers who provided observations to the light curve being plotted. This list is shown in order of time of observation, so the earliest observation on the plot is by the first person on the list. The URL is: http://www.aavso.org/adata/curvegenerator.shtml .
New Method of Submitting CCD Data
Large batches of CCD data can now be uploaded from within your web browser. The upload supports the AIP4Win format along with a generic format that should be easy to replicate in other software packages. Feel free to use this feature to send us both new and past CCD data. The URL for more information is http://www.aavso.org/cdata/webobsccd.shtml.
PC Obs 1.4
The newest version has many new features such as a personal database (you can add your own stars to the name/designation lookup routine), persistent comment codes, a speed interface for CV and EB observers, the ability to disable error checking, and minor tweaks to error-checking routines. This is an optional upgrade and we only recommend upgrading if you would like to make use of one of these features. The URL to download the software is http://www.aavso.org/cdata/pcobsinfo.shtml.
Clear Sky Clock
This is not an AAVSO web site but it is so useful that I wanted to give it a mention to our readers. This web page graphically presents computer model data from the Canadian Meteorological Center. This is a quick way to get predictions for clear skies. Clouds and transparency are predicted for the next 48 hours in 3 hour blocks. Currently clocks are available for almost 300 cities in North America and the author will gladly add a clock to your local city/town as long as model data exists for it (most of Canada & the US are covered). This is a free service with no advertisements, banners, or cookies. You can even embed the graphic into your own web page. The URL is http://www.cleardarksky.com/csk/.
