Visual Observing Manual

The AAVSO Manual for Visual Observing of Variable Stars (ISBN 978-1-878174-00-0) is a comprehensive guide to variable star observing. Included is a lot of information and tips on how to make variable star observations and report them to the AAVSO. The Manual is available online in .pdf format. Translations of the Manual are available in several languages.

English language version

Complete Manual
AAVSO Manual for Visual Observing of Variable Stars - March 2013 Edition (6.7 MB)

Sections

Intro & Table of Contents (193 KB)
Chapter 1 - Preparations (951 KB)
Chapter 2 - Variable Star Charts (468 KB)
Chapter 3 - Making Observations (1.2 MB)
Chapter 4 - About Variable Stars (1.9 MB)
Chapter 5 - Figuring the Date (577 KB)
Chapter 6 - Planning an Observing Session (171 KB)
Chapter 7 - Submitting Observations to the AAVSO (336 KB)
Appendix 1 - Sample Long-Term Light Curves (1.7 MB)
Appendix 2 - AAVSO Sections (160 KB)
Appendix 3 - Additional Resources (137 KB)
Appendix 4 - Star Names (169 KB)
Index (90 KB)

The latest revisions to the Manual are summarized here: ManualUpdates.doc

Translations

In an effort to make the Manual more useful to our members and observers world-wide, we have undertaken a project to translate the manual into different languages. Thanks to the assistance of several ambitious and hard-working volunteers in various countries, we now offer translations of the Manual in the following languages:

Chinese - "Simplified Chinese" version translated by Cheng Simiao, January 2012.
"Traditional Chinese" version translated by Tao Fan-Lin December 2012.
French - translated by Dominique Naillon, May 2013.
German - translated by Ilka Petermann, December 2016.
Greek - translated by Stelios Kleidis, October 2015.
Hungarian - translated by Péter Molnár and Dr. Laszlo Kiss, June 2013.
Italian - translated by Dr. Giuseppe Bianco, December 2008.
Japanese - translated by Seiji Tsuji, May 2009.
Persian - translated by F. Bahrani and colleagues, June 2014.
Polish - translated by Ariel Majcher, Bogdan Kubiak, Marcin Biskupski, Michał Kwieciak, and Piotr Guzik, May 2016.
Portuguese - translated by David Duarte Cavalcante Pinto and members of CEAAL, April 2011.
Russian - translated by Dr. Nikolai Samus, June 2017.
Spanish - translated by Jaime Garcia, December 2013.
Turkish - translated by Tuğrul Uşşaklı, Sabahattin Bilsel, and Haldun Menali, December 2006.