by AAVSO Webmaster Kate Davis
from AAVSO Newsletter 29, October 2003
As many of us in the American northeast shut off our air conditioners and open wide the windows to let in the crisp Fall New England air, we would like to point out some of the interesting new features that debuted on the new website launch this past summer. Of course, we couldn't just list them (way too easy), so we decided to think of them in simile fashion as an ode to Fall (sometimes more successfully than others).
Like the colors of so many leaves changing from green to gold, red, and orange ... the home page is constantly changing with announcements, website additions, and other news that we would like to share with you.
Like the roots of beautiful birch trees ... the search feature at the top of every page will dig deep into the website to help you find the information that you seek.
Like the apples that drop from your apple picking basket ... the "breadcrumb links" at the top of every page will keep track of your place on the website with options to link back to where you have already been.
Like the crisp cold air that you associate with better "seeing" conditions ... the links on the left side of many pages are specifically associated to the page you are visiting.
Like picking out a warm cozy sweater for your next variable star observing session ... the "pick a variable star" feature allows you to enter the name of any star in our program and pick which function you would like it to do: plot a light curve, search for recent data, or return available star charts!
Like hot smoke coming from the chimney top ... the "hottest" pages on the website will appear under the "top ten pages" list on the home page and is updated weekly.
In honor of those who enjoy the rich southern hemisphere skies and are entering a warmer season, you may replace the preceding similes with:
Like the orchids that start blooming...
Like the roots of a eucalyptus tree...
Like the kiwis that drop...
Like choosing which shorts to bring to your next star party...
Whether you live in the North, South, East, or West we hope you are enjoying the new features of our website! Happy Fall/Spring Observing!