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History of the AAVSO

Click image to see whole picture.
Seventh annual mtg of the AAVSO, Harvard College Observatory, November 23, 1918.
Since its founding in 1911, amateur and professional astronomers from all over the world have contributed to the success of the AAVSO. In the following pages we give you a history of the AAVSO in a nutshell, starting from the early years, and working our way through to the present by adding more pages from time to time. All of the images and much of the text you see here comes from the AAVSO archives. Through the following pages we recognize the people and circumstances involved in making the AAVSO the largest variable star organization in the world. Step back in time with us and meet the wonderfully dedicated, industrious, and enthusiastic members and observers of the AAVSO!

The AAVSO History in Parts:

Part One - Before the AAVSO: Amateur observers of variable stars in the United States from 1875 to 1910.
Part Two - The emergence, founding, and growth of the AAVSO: Amateur involvement in variable star astronomy from 1909 to 1918
Part Three - The AAVSOs "Old Guard"
  - Profile of One AAVSO "Old Guard" - Charles Y. McAteer 1865-1924
Part Four - The AAVSO and International Cooperation
Part Five - A Margaret Mayall Centenary Celebration!
  - The Ballad of Margaret Mayall
More Historical Information

William Tyler Olcott House — Then and Now (pdf)
JAAVSO article - Note on a Determination of the Date of the Founding of the AAVSO
JAAVSO article - A History of AAVSO's Headquarters
JAAVSO article - The History of AAVSO Charts, Part 1: The 1880s Through the 1950s
JAAVSO article - The History of AAVSO Charts, Part II: The 1960s Through 2006
Pictures - AAVSO group meeting pictures that span the last eight decades
Pictures - From the 1966 AAVSO Annual Meeting
JAAVSO article - The Pre-Embryonic state of the AAVSO: Amateur Observers of Variable Stars in the United States from 1875 to 1911
Web Feature - The Clinton B. Ford Observatory is featured with scanned images of the observatory log books, as well as a history and description of the observatory, and sketches of its members and users over the years
 
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