[vsnet-chat 5520] RU Peg- the tip of the iceberg

["Mike Simonsen" <mikesimonsen@mindspring.com>]

August 22, 2002 the AAVSO released a number of new and improved charts. This
was announced on the website and in the new email list, charts-announce.
Observers were emphatically urged to update to these charts.

The first one on the list was RU Peg, which has just been reported, albeit
uncertainly, to be in outburst.

Following HQ's advise, I began to download the new charts. After printing
the first one, RU Peg, I noticed immediately that something was wrong with
the sequence. I had been personally involved in creating a new sequence for
this star with Arne Henden and Bruce Sumner in September and October of
2001.

Several of the comp stars in the SE quadrant of this new chart are
erroneous. They are, in fact, equivalent to rough estimates I supplied in a
message to Arne describing why this section of the sky probably held stars
that would fill annoying gaps in the sequence. Dr. Henden obliged with
additional photometry in this area, which did address the gaps in the
sequence.

I notified headquarters and Dr. Henden on August 28, 2002 of the errors on
the newly released chart, and supplied them with the correct sequence
information documented by Bruce Sumner.

Thus far, headquarters' response has been to remove A. Henden's name from
the sequence field, but to keep the wrong sequence on the chart!?
The "official policy" is not to revise any sequence without specific
approval from the director.

It has been several weeks now, and several emails, since they decided the
sequence was wrong and removed Arne's name from it to appease the world's
leading photometrist.

I find it hard to believe that Marc Beismans and Charles Scovil have not
already made revised charts (standard and reversed) with the correct
information, once they were notified of the errors.

I have corresponded with the observer who made the "uncertain" observations
of RU Peg in outburst, and he has confirmed the fact that the sequence was
the problem with his making a positive/certain estimate visually.

There is no good argument for not having already fixed this mess.

This is an unacceptable situation for a scientific organization.

Unfortunately, it is endemic of a pervasive problem in the AAVSO; the
reticence to update, upgrade or change charts or sequences because of the
negative impact it would have on the AAVSO database; and the limited time
and resources available to the one person who can ultimately approve the
changes.

For those of you who wish to make accurate visual or CCD measures of this
star (RU Peg), a CCD(V) sequence in text form is available at:
http://ftp.nofs.navy.mil/pub/outgoing/aah/sequence/sumner/

Mike Simonsen

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