Format of the Data File

1.    JD: The Julian Date of the observation.
2,    Magnitude: The magnitude estimate of the observation. A < sign means it was a null observation "fainter than" the magnitude given.
3.    Uncertainty: Uncertainty (error) of the observation as submitted by the observer
4.    HQuncertainty: Uncertainty (error) of the observation as calculated by AAVSO Headquarters
5.    Band: Bandpass of the observation. The allowable filters are listed here. [For data requests filled by HQ staff under special circumstances, the number corresponding to each band is given here].
6.    Observer Code: This is a unique ID assigned to each observer.
7.    Comment Code: Comment codes submitted by the observer. A list of codes is here.
8.    Comp Star 1: The comparison star(s) used to make the visual estimate. If photometric, this is the comparison (C) star ID.
9.    Comp Star 2: The comparison star(s) used to make the visual estimate. If photometric, this is the check (K) star ID.
10.    Charts: The charts used to find the field and locate the comparison stars and their values. As of July, 2008 new charts were issued with a Chart ID format of XXXXY where XXXX is a number and Y can be any combination of letters. You can visit our Variable Star Plotter and type in that Chart ID to see the exact chart the observer used to make that observation. For Chart IDs that are not in that format, contact AAVSO HQ and we can e-mail you a copy of the chart used in the observation.
11.    Comments: Comments on the observation, usually from the observer
12.    Transform: If transformation coefficients were applied to the observation then this will be "Yes".
13.    Airmass: The airmass of the observation.
14.    Validation Flag: This flag describes the level of validation of the observation.
        V means the observation has passed our validation tests.
        T means that during the validation phase it was flagged discrepant and should be used with extreme caution.
        Z means it has only undergone pre-validation, meaning it was checked for typos and data input errors only.
        U means it has not been validated at all and should be used with caution.
15.    Cmag: Supplied magnitude of the comparison star
16.    Kmag: Measured magnitude of the check star
17.    HJD: Heliocentric Julian Date
18.    Name: Name of the star
19.    Affiliation: Organization affiliated with the observer that took this data.  See this link for a list of affiliation codes and their corresponding Organizations.
20.    Magnitude Type: This field describes the kind of magnitude used in the observation:
    STD - standardized magnitude.
    DIFF - differential magnitude. The value of Comp Star 1 is needed to compute the standard magnitude.
    STEP - un-reduced step magnitude. These magnitudes are given as 0.0 and the step sequence may be found in the Comment Code field.
21.    Group: Denotes what group of filters were used for this observation.
22.    ADS Reference: The article identifier in CDS/ADS Bibliographic Code format
23.    Digitizer: The digitizer code for the individual who digitized and submitted the data (identical to the individual's observer code if they are already an AAVSO observer).
24.    Credit: Organization to be credited for the observation.

Note: The AAVSO database dates back to the 19th century. As a result, it changed over time and fields were added and removed. As a result, some of the fields may be empty in early observations.


Zu 5:  Band

Johnson 	U 	U 	3663 	650
Johnson 	B 	B 	4361 	890
Johnson 	V 	V 	5448 	840
Johnson 	R 	RJ 	7000 	2200
Johnson 	I 	IJ 	9000 	2400
Cousins 	R 	R 	6407 	1580
Cousins 	I 	I 	7980 	1540
Near-Infrared 	J 	J 	1.2 microns 	0.32 micron
Near-Infrared 	H 	H 	1.6 microns 	0.36 micron
Near-Infrared 	K 	K 	2.2 microns 	0.37 micron
Sloan u 	SU 	3543 	650
Sloan g 	SG 	4770 	1490
Sloan r 	SR 	6231 	1400
Sloan i 	SI 	7625 	1300
Sloan z 	SZ 	9097 	1370
Stromgren u 	STU 	3520 	314
Stromgren v 	STV 	4100 	170
Stromgren b 	STB 	4688 	185
Stromgren y 	STY 	5480 	226
Stromgren Hbw 	STHBW 	4890 	150
Stromgren Hbn 	STHBN 	4860 	30
Optec Wing A 	MA 	7120 	110
Optec Wing B 	MB 	7540 	110
Optec Wing C (or Wing I) 	MI 	10240 	420
PanSTARRS z-short(APASS) 	ZS 	8730 	940
PanSTARRS Y  	(APASS) 	Y 	10004 	1080
DSLR Blue 			TB  	differs by camera 	 
DSLR Green 			TG 	differs by camera 	 
DSLR Red 			TR 	differs by camera 	 
Clear (unfiltered) reduced to V 
sequence 			CV 	differs by camera 	 
Clear (unfiltered) reduced to R 
sequence 			CR 	differs by camera 	 
Clear with blue-blocking 	CBB 	differs by camera 	 
Halpha 				HA 	6563 	 
Halpha_continuum 		HAC 	5400 	60
Blue visual filter 	Blue-vis. 	historical data only; do not use 	 
Green visual filter 	Green-vis. 	historical data only; do not use 	 
Red visual filter 	Red-vis. 	historical data only; do not use 	 
Orange filter 		Orange 		historical data only; do not use 	 
Yellow visual filter 	Yellow-vis. 	historical data only; do not use 	 
Visual 			Vis. 		human eye; ~5500 	 
Other 			O 	 	filter not listed above, must describe in Comments