[vsnet-chat 5972] Re: [AAVSO-DIS] CCD-V Vs visual observations

[Michael Koppelman <lolife@bitstream.net>]

I'm sure this is true but it sure strikes me as odd. I *enjoy* working 
with my data so much that I take my time with every observation. I 
wonder how often the careless mistakes you mention are a result of 
people processing large numbers of images automatically. TASS, for 
example, does this but they do so with very high precision. (They don't 
submit their observations to the databases that I'm aware of, either.) 
Perhaps some of the careless mistakes are survey-type of activities 
without the care that TASS (and others) use?

For non-survey type CCD observations it just baffles me why anyone 
would submit any observations that were not as careful and as correct 
as possible. Observations are worse than useless if you don't take care 
in the reduction and reporting.

Michael Koppelman

On Monday, February 10, 2003, at 08:31 PM, Taichi Kato wrote:

>    The other thing is more human.  It seems to me that the fraction of
> careless mistakes is not reduced in CCD observations (or even more
> abundant in CCD reports).  These careless mistakes include incorrect
> identification of comparison stars or even objects, bad calculation,
> poor use of reduction software, error in copying data from the software
> output, date error, and many, many.  It sometimes looks like that CCD
> observers tend to think there primary aim is to make observation, but 
> not
> to make accurate reports.  Some people don't care if the variable is
> calculated to be several magnitudes different on subsequent nights,
> and don't care if they confuse a 10-th mag star with a third mag star.
> It may have partly due to the fact that CCD observation and reduction
> are usually more time-consuming than visual observation, and people 
> tend
> to make mistakes and dismiss doubts in fatigue.

VSNET Home Page

Return to Daisaku Nogami

---

vsnet-adm@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp