IN THIS ISSUE: H NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS KRISTINE LARSEN: OBSERVER, EDUCATOR, VOLUNTEER, AND COUNCILOR . 5 HAVE YOU SEEN THIS TELESCopE? . 5 50 YEARS WITH THE AAVSO . 6 SCENES FROM THE 2014 ANNUAL MEETING . 8 AWARDS AND HONORS foR 2014 . 9 ISSUE NO. 63 JANUARY 2015 WWW.AAVSO.ORG H ALSO SCIENCE SUMMARY: AAVSO IN PRINT . 13 TALKING ABOUT THE AAVSO . 14 IN MEMORIAM . 14 STARS AT THE EDGE . 17 INVESTIGATING IR LIGHT LEAKS IN OPTEC B-BAND FILTERS . 18 Complete table of contents on page 2 AAVSONewsletter SINCE 1911... The AAVSO is an international non-profit organization of variable star observers whose mission is: to observe and analyze variable stars; to collect and archive observations for FROM THE worldwide access; and to forge strong collaborations and mentoring between amateurs and professionals that promote both scientific research DIRECTOR’S DESK and education on variable sources. ARNE A. HENDEN (HQA) he holiday season Changes have taken place with the AAVSOnet T is upon us again. robotic telescope network. A new camera was PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE This means a lull in the purchased for BSM_NM, and its original camera JENO SOKOLOSKI workload at the AAVSO moved to BSM_HQ. A new MoonLite focuser as staff members take was sent to BSM_South. New filters and gratings Introducing our incoming vacations to visit family were purchased. BSM_Berry is nearing “first Director, Dr. Stella Kafka and friends. It also gives light” in Perth at Greg Bolt’s house. The queues me a chance to reflect on are being reviewed to remove completed objects, hen AAVSO’s incoming the past year, with its many with new projects being implemented. With new WDirector, Dr. Stella highlights. There is never a funding from the Robert Martin Ayers Sciences Kafka, published her first dull moment at headquarters! The Annual Report Fund, we are in the process of refurbishing the astronomical research paper will contain the entire year’s worth of changes, APASS cameras. 15 years ago, Janet Mattei and is one of my primary tasks over the next few was one of her co-authors. weeks. I’ll just mention some of those that have Other happenings at HQ include the import of the Thus Stella and the AAVSO occurred since the last newsletter. BAA database of 2.5 million observations. Andy have been linked since the start of her astronomical Wilson and Roger Pickard of the BAAVSS have career. Moreover, collaboration between professional Another couple of Internet attacks took place been kind enough to provide those observations to and amateur astronomers has continually shaped her during the quarter. The one that got the most us. About half are duplicates (observers submitted development as a researcher. Now, we are fortunate attention was “shellshock,” which exploited a hole observations to both organizations), but half to be able to solidify Stella’s connection to the in the popular Bash command processor shell. are new and extend many light curves. A new AAVSO as she prepares to take the helm from Arne Because of the increased number of attacks, we version of VSP is in beta release, promising on February 1st. Given Stella’s special combination revamped many of our computer procedures. The to enable faster access, flexible photometry of talents, skills, and experience, I expect the coming website login was improved; all computers were table formatting, and new options. Photometry decade to be one of vigorous growth, modernization, placed behind our firewall and only available transformation tools by Gordon Myers and George and community-building for the AAVSO. through a Virtual Provider Network access. We Silvis are now a cohesive pair and available on reviewed our security procedures, and added the website. As those in the cataclysmic variable star community features to our backup procedures. We also took know, Stella has an outstanding scientific reputation and the opportunity to combine internal databases Elsewhere in the variable-star universe, Bob research track record. After obtaining her Bachelor’s (the “unification project”) and to improve the Naeye has left Sky & Telescope, and Peter Tyson of Science degree at the University of Athens, in development website. has taken over as editor in chief. Tom Richards Greece, she moved to Indiana University, where she CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE 1 The AAVSO Newsletter Number 63 January 2015 THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF VARIABLE STAR OBSERVERS DIRECTOR Arne A. Henden PRESIDENT Jennifer Sokoloski PAST PRESIDENT Mario Motta DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE 1ST VICE PRESIDENT Kristine M. Larsen CONTINUED... 2ND VICE PRESIDENT Roger S. Kolman has retired as Director of Variable Stars South, Several interesting campaigns are underway. Of SECRETARY Gary Walker with Stan Walker taking over as interim Director. course, the two bright novae of 2013 (V339 Del and V1369 Cen) are still easily observable, TREASURER Bill Goff We’re starting to better support our observers who and continued monitoring is requested. EE Cep are interested in spectroscopy. The first step in that underwent its 6-year eclipse, well covered by COUNCILORS direction was taken earlier in the year, when we AAVSO observers, with coverage a couple Barbara G. Harris Joseph Patterson implemented a Spectroscopy Forum. More recently, of months prior and subsequent to the event. Rodney H. Howe Richard Sabo we placed a group order for the SA200 diffraction Alpha Comae Berenices is due for an eclipse in Katrien Kolenberg David G. Turner gratings that go directly into filter wheels. Bob January. As it comes out from behind the Sun, John C. Martin Doug Welch Hawksley gave us a substantial discount, and Robin our observers are getting early observations to Leadbeater donated his royalties for the gratings to form a baseline for that possible eclipse. Deanne NEWSLETTER our project, making the cost of these gratings quite Coppejans has done an excellent job with her EDITOR Elizabeth O. Waagen affordable. We have several more steps to take for research campaign on radio jets in dwarf novae, PRODUCTION EDITOR Michael Saladyga our users, but the wheel is turning! asking observers to inform her when specific stars go into outburst. DEVELOPMENT Mike Simonsen CONTENTS What will 2015 bring? Stella has lots of ideas The AAVSO Newsletter is published in January, April, July, and October. Items of general interest and will provide some new excitement for the From the Director’s Desk 1 to be considered for the Newsletter should be President’s Message 1 AAVSO. Projects like AAVSOnet and APASS sent to [email protected]. Photos in this A Christmas to Remember 3 will remain strong, and I’ll stay involved in the issue courtesy of C. Beaman, S. Beck, A. Holm, day-to-day management of them. I think you are Brite Constellation —Shoebox Satellites for R. Kinne, J. Percy, K. Paxson, C. Stephan, going to enjoy the “new” AAVSO—I sure am R. Turner. Variable Star Astronomy 4 looking forward to it! I’m also looking forward Congratulations MVAS! 4 to becoming a researcher again and contributing Membership in the AAVSO is open to anyone who Kristine Larsen: Observer, Educator, Volunteer, some data to campaigns. Let’s all work together is interested in variable stars and in contributing to the support of valuable research. Members include and Councilor 5 and make the AAVSO the premier research and Have You Seen This Telescope? 5 professional astronomers, amateur astronomers, education institution that everyone wants and researchers, educators, students, and those who 50 Years With the AAVSO 6 needs. Clear skies, everyone! H love variable star astronomy. A Special Moment 6 50 Years?!! 6 Ed. note: the Spanish language version of Arne’s AAVSO Scenes From the 2014 Annual Meeting 8 message can be found on page 15. 49 Bay State Road Awards and Honors for 2014 9 Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, USA 617-354-0484 / 1-888-802-STAR(7827) 2014 Annual Meeting Schedule 10 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE www.aavso.org AAVSO/CBA.SAS Combined Meeting in Ontario, CONTINUED... California, Revisited 11 earned a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Astronomy, with a Climate Change 11 double minor in Physics and Geophysical Sciences. the LSST science book. As the Director of the A Visit to the London BAA Offices 12 There she received the Hollis and Grete Johnson AAVSO, Stella will draw upon her connections and Spring 2015 Meeting Note 12 Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Research. stature in the professional community to make sure Science Summary: AAVSO in Print 13 After completing her Ph.D., Stella held a series of that amateur astronomers contribute, thrive, and Talking About the AAVSO 14 prestigious postdoctoral positions and fellowships, generally benefit from professional investments in In Memoriam 14 first at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in time-domain astronomy during the upcoming golden Mensaje del Director 15 Chile (CTIO, where she received the National Optical age of time-domain astrophysics. Mensaje del Presidente 15 Astronomy Observatory Excellence Award), then at Stars at the Edge 17 Caltech, and finally as a NASA Astrobiology Institute But Council did not select Stella as our next Director Investigating IR Light Leaks in OPTEC B-Band Fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. solely because of her scientific credentials. Equally Filters 18 She has extensive experience gathering, reducing, important, if not more important, is her experience as a Photoelectric Photometry Program Update 18 and analyzing photometric and spectroscopic data; manager. In addition to serving as the Director of two Description of the AAVSO’s Calculation of the has helped commission two different instruments research and mentorship programs for undergraduates at the WIYN Observatory in Arizona; and written while in Chile, for the past three years Stella has been American Relative Sunspot Index Ra and the a data-reduction manual along with more than managing editorial, marketing, financial, business Corresponding k personal Scaling Factors of 40 refereed papers.