Observed Minima Timings of Eclipsing Binaries
Observed times of minima of an eclipsing binary provide essential data for obtaining the period of the system. Precise period calculations are crucial for uncovering the physics that drive these systems and for understanding the evolution of stellar systems.
The AAVSO has a publication Series containing times of minima of eclipsing binaries in the AAVSO's eclipsing binary observing program. Each AAVSO "Observed Minima Timings of Eclipsing Binaries" is a compilation of hundreds of minima timings for 50 eclipsing binaries in this program. It represents a portion of the stars observed by participants in this program since 1976 and continues the listing of minima published in previous Numbers of the series. Except where otherwise specified, all minima are determined from visual observations reduced by the authors using a computerized tracing paper method. All Numbers of the series have been prepared by Marvin Baldwin, Chair of the AAVSO Eclipsing Binary Committee, and Gerard Samolyk, Committee member.
There have been ten publications in this series published by the AAVSO to date. The printed version of each Monograph contains: an Introduction, a table giving the publications containing previous AAVSO times of minima on each star in the Number, a table with information on the O-C minima and linear elements used in the Number, a table of contributing observers, and for each star, a compilation of times of minima and an O-C diagram based on the times of minima and the linear elements given in the Number.
An ASCII version of each Number may be downloaded free of charge from the AAVSO website. Please note that the ASCII version contains all the material in the printed version except for the O-C diagram.