Hi everyone, I’m new to AAVSO and just recently captured 20 10-second exposures of the star T Her (I saw that it was a good beginner star). I was able to upload my data to VPhot, and it seems it was plate solved correctly, albeit not calibrated (There are now 60 images because they were each split into R, B, and G). My question is how do I upload data to AAVSO? Do I first have to apply the time series tool and make a light curve? I heard on the community Slack that the color transform tool is not reccomended for smart telescopes because the data is unreliable, so I most likely do not want to do that, correct? Is it possible to upload my data simply as-is, or is there more processing I have to do? If so, does anyone have a good beginner workflow to help me get more comfortable with data collection and photometry? (For example, how many images of a target should I aim to capture per night, and at what exposure times? Also how do I do the photometry side of things in VPhot?)
Thanks in advance
Noah,
There are a lot of questions there, ranging basically from how you get strted right through to uploading data within VPhot, which is a sophisticated photometry software application.
In my view, this Forum is not the place where you learn everything you need to know about photometry and submitting data. The AAVSO website has a lot of resources which you can find by browsing the site. You may have spent time reading them, but if not I recommend that you learn as much as you can from them. You are using a smart telescope in which case the AAVSO Guide to DSLR Photometry is relevant, since that guide deals with photometry using cameras with a colour sensor.
These days an AI search can be useful for almost anything. For example, if you search for how frequently you should observe variable stars, you should get a range of information, because the answer depends on the type of variable star and its period.
The AAVSO runs a course in the use of VPhot every year. Anyone wishing to use VPhot should consider taking it. There is a manual, and you may have read it, but the course includes more information.
You may also want to post in the Science > Smart Telescope Photometry section. There is work going on to create a location for submitting smart telescope data to a photometry pipeline. You’ll hear more about it there as it progresses.