[vsnet-chat 189] Re: V vs v

[Fraser Farrell <fraserf@dove.net.au>]

G'day all,

On 1997-03-09 tkato@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp said:
   >Bill Dillon wrote in [vsnet-chat 184]
   >> You might do more harm than good by applying your own home-brewed
   >> corrections (unless you report the correction applied).
   >> It's the people who have the most data that are best in a position
   >> to study this.

The correction is more than just (Observer A) = (Observer B + constant).
I did a study of my proteges a few years ago concerning this subject.
The correction factor varies according to the observer, the stars
colour, the star's magnitude, and the degree of light pollution at the
time.

I did not reveal their "errors" because the temptation to "correct"
their subsequent observations would be strong.  Nowadays I record and
report _all_ observations without corrections of any kind, and accept
the scatter as inherent to visual observing.  I for one certainly don't
have a photoelectric retina.

If we are going to be "wrong", let's be consistently and predictably
wrong - it makes analysis a lot easier.


   >I believe it would be the only achievable and acceptable solution
   >to adopt photoelectric V sequences (something in future from
   >HIPPARCOS or else?) as international standards, from which
   >individual variable star organaizations can prepare charts in their
   >own manner if necessary.

Agreed.  Some observers - including me - will always disagree with
some/all of the published magnitudes.  Personally, if I don't agree with
a particular comp star's magnitude I won't use that star when doing the
estimate.


cheers,

Fraser Farrell
Variable Stars Group
Astronomical Society of South Australia

WWW: http://vsnet.gist.net.au/assa/   email: fraserf@dove.net.au
traditional:  GPO Box 199, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia

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