[vsnet-survey 22] Re: Coords and IDs for ASAS variables

[Taichi Kato <tkato>]

Re: Coords and IDs for ASAS variables

   I remember someone said at the meeting of the variable star section of
IAU General Assembly held in Kyoto that there would be no need to compile
a complete general variable star catalog.  The speaker comments that
large-scale surveys would have own variable star catalog, independent of
the GCVS nomenclature system.  (And addtional comment such large-scale
surveys may provide a tiny bit of their funds to assist the GCVS team).
The GCVS team was apparently (and probably naturally) against this proposal;
they were apparently in persuit of a unified complete general catalog
of variable stars, including the extension to extragalactic and globular
cluster variables.

  Arne's point:

>   (b) The current GCVS needs to be checked thoroughly, not
>       only to find a USNO-A star near the catalogued position,
>       but confirmation that the star is variable and the
>       right type.  I know some of this is already being done,
>       but I think it needs high priority.  We have these cases
>       of GM Sgr, whether CI Aql = Nova Aql 2000, etc. that could
>       be resolved conclusively so there is no similar confusion
>       in the future.

   Right.  The GCVS team and other volunteers (including me) have been
trying to improve the GCVS.  This is the most important process of
"purifying" the GCVS, and it is the most time-consuming process to check
original literatures (and even photographs) when new variable stars are
reported near the cataloged position of known variable stars.  The GCVS
team said they spent many months to check Hipparcos variables against
known variable stars.  This process could be shorted to less than a day
when we have a complete GCVS.

   The problem is (as I have heard from the GCVS team) much of old variable
star records are written in card systems, which are difficult to handle
electronically and automatically.

>   (e) I like Brian's concept of a Variable Star Center (VSC),
>       and the requirement of inputting all discoveries in a
>       common format to lessen the workload.  However, the
>       GCVS group has been doing this work for years, and I'd
>       hope that some marriage between new effort and old
>       can occur.

   Yes, the GCVS team indeed plays this role.  With a time-scale of a few
years, the GCVS team has been most throughly surveying existing literatures,
which could not have been done without their enthusiasm.  Please note
there are many "discoveries" of new variable stars, which are not explicitly
reported as discoveries.  Such information may appear in some papers
studying IRAS sources, newly known variable comparison stars in photometry
papers on known variable stars, optical identification papers of X-ray
sources, etc.  Such "discoveries" of variable stars will not be easily
covered by a single concept of Variable Star Center, but could be only
covered by the continuous, extensive, current work by the GCVS team.

Regards,
Taichi Kato

VSNET Home Page

---

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