The AAVSO is a community of variable star enthusiasts who share ideas and experiences. What makes the AAVSO stand out is the people, the community, and the warmth of sharing your interests with other people who will understand them. Meetings, newsletters, discussion groups, and AAVSO Thursdays provide a forum for people to exchange ideas and help each other make a difference in the field. Additionally, we have a strong Mentor Program that helps new observers get started with variable star observing.

There is no doubt that the observations and contributions of AAVSO members and observers advance research in variable star astronomy. Researchers frequently request data from the AAVSO that they use to: correlate with data obtained from different wavelengths (x-ray, radio, gamma-ray); predict when a nova-like star will go into outburst in time to observe it with a satellite observatory; conduct a time-series analyses of a Long Period Variable; do so much more. Since the founding in 1911, the people of the AAVSO have propelled the field of variable stars forward. From the backyard telescope of an amateur astronomer to the powerful lens of the Hubble Space Telescope, each observation is critical in understanding the role of variable stars in our universe.

We invite you to participate in the exciting endeavor of measuring the brightness of variable stars and to make a real contribution to astronomy.

Pro-Am Collaboration and the AAVSO - article by AAVSO Director, Arne Henden, about the AAVSO and the valuable professional-amateur collaboration that we foster. ASP Conference Series, 2006. Article is pdf format (1.4 MB).