The yearly booklets, formerly Annual Impact Reports, form an historical record of the organization’s activities.
The Annual Report captures some of the AAVSO’s activities within the prior fiscal year (ending September 30th). Although the format has evolved over the years, the Report includes letters from the AAVSO Board President and Executive Director, the Treasurer’s Report, commentary from the Annual Meeting, and a list of Argelander Society members. It also recognizes the donors and sponsors who supported the AAVSO during the fiscal year.
AAVSO is more than an organization; it is a global community of passionate individuals working together to advance our understanding of the universe. In 2024, our members, volunteers, and supporters contributed in countless ways—observing, mentoring, collaborating, and funding the work that fuels discovery.
AAVSO is more than an organization; it is a global community of passionate individuals working together to advance our understanding of the universe. In 2024, our members, volunteers, and supporters contributed in countless ways—observing, mentoring, collaborating, and funding the work that fuels discovery.
Reflecting on my inaugural year as Executive Director, I find myself deeply inspired by the passion and dedication within the AAVSO community. As I delved into the organization’s rich history and connected with its diverse members, I gained a profound appreciation for the pivotal role AAVSO plays in advancing astrophysics . . .
As I write this letter, I just completed my fourth month as Executive Director. I’ve spent most of my time learning about the organization, identifying areas for improvement, and strategizing on how we should adapt for the future. In doing so, I’ve discovered a vibrant community . . . who care deeply about the causes we represent.
In 2021, we celebrated 110 years of the AAVSO’s foundation. Such an anniversary is an excellent place to pause; it is a moment for us to take stock, appreciate where we started and the challenges we faced, and celebrate our progress and accomplishments. And last year, the Board and I presented our new strategic plan.
I am sure all of us welcomed the end of 2020, a year when the pandemic disrupted our lives, threatened our health, and weakened our economies and the wellbeing of many of us. Even under those circumstances . . . we recognize an urgent need for all of us to focus on the big picture. We know that we have a duty to serve you.
Another year full of activities engaging our observers in a multitude of projects, training observers, increasing data quality control, and building stronger communities through our observing sections. We are making new connections and providing fresh opportunities. This report showcases some of our new accomplishments this year.
What a year! TESS was launched, Gaia DR2 was released, the Parker Solar Probe promises to reveal unknown aspects of the solar corona, the Kepler telescope ran out of fuel and left a legacy of thousands of unknown variable objects . . . while the AAVSO has focused on completing projects that enhance our observers’ resources.
This year we . . . produced new tools for our community, our observers, and our volunteers, and made progress on legacy projects which will lead to new services for our observers. We developed new training material, and continued to post articles of interest on our web pages and social media, reaching our community worldwide.
In 2016 alone, 1,231 observers contributed to the AAVSO International Database, representing 54 countries. The top three countries contributing observations are the USA, UK, and Spain. Figure 1 presents a breakdown of the top 10 countries having contributed to the AID, demonstrating the international character of our observers.
The AAVSO Council’s vote on the new Director took one morning. It was the culmination of a year and a half of work by both Council and the Search Committee. Although the Council typically only selects a new Director once every decade or several decades, the impact of this decision is felt by the organization every day.
An eventful year for astronomy in general and the AAVSO in particular, from the success of GAIA to the changes at the top of our organization . . . the AAVSO International Database grew by more than one million observations . . . the NSF awarded a grant to complete the processing and analysis of 400,000 images captured by APASS.
What a year, from the demise of Kepler to the launch of Gaia. Congress sequestered research funds; our holiday cards were lost in a tractor-trailer fire; we had to move AAVSOnet telescopes. Two bright comets portended these disasters, but a naked-eye nova (and another in December 2013) predicted a brighter future!
If you are reading this, then we’ve made it past December 21, 2012. Fatalistic predictions are not new; we just have to provide a counterpoint for any argument that might be made. I think there are far more likely ways for the world to end, some even variable-star related . . . however, let’s focus on fun things that happened in the past year!
Who would’ve dreamed in 1911 that not only is there still lots of interest in variable stars, but that the amateur community was still in demand to satisfy the needs of researchers. We have come a long way in those 100 years, as detailed in this Annual Report, as well as in the great history book written by Michael Saladyga and Tom Williams!
