AAVSO report shows unusual comparison star magnitudes
Stacking program, astrometric (plate) solver, fits file viewer
Brought to you by:
han59
Menu
▾
▴
Somehow the 000- are removed from the comp stars. I can see the comp annotations including the 000- at one of your first images is still there. So the database seems okay. You could try the local and online version database to see if this makes any difference.
I will check here with a comma as a decimal separator. Normally I use here a dot as decimal separator but this has been tested many times before. Difficult to comprehend why the 000- are removed. There is not such a code programmed. I will keep searching.
Cheers, Han
1) I have changed the setup my computer to a comma separator but it all works normal.
2) Searched all code but none is removed the 000-
3) I noted in one of your later screenshot
https://sourceforge.net/p/astap-program/discussion/general/thread/a1ce347f16/e879/attachment/astap.jpg/thumb
that that the image comp stars is annotated WITHOUT the 000-. That is crucial. Without the 000- the comp stars are seen as variables and not placed in the second combox box. One of your previous screen shots show an image with the 000- annotated but it is difficult to see since that image is highly compressed.
So now the question is there any difference between the local and online database? Can you try the setting "AAVSO annotation" of the photmetry tab in local and online mode? After that just press play button >|
Does the link below give you info from comp stars from AAVSO with the correct full AUID as 000-BBS-237?
https://apps.aavso.org/vsp/api/chart/?format=json&ra=173.475392&dec=-0.032945&fov=42&maglimit=13.0000
Again a very weird problem but it should be fixed.
Han
Just tried online and local DB setting and the local DB version works (attachments).
Before starting I received an astap message to download and install the newest variable star DB but the test was still run with the previous version
The link in your post gives the full correct AUID
cs Axel
I suspect the AAVSO response is not interpreted correctly.
I have made a special ASTAP test version to download the raw AAVSO response for request of comp star and to save it to a text file. Can you download this zip file?:
http://www.hnsky.org/astap2.zip
Unpack it somewhere and run the astap.exe. Then press the special button as marked in the screenshot. This will download the AAVSO response ask to save a file aavso.txt somewhere. Save this file e.g. at your desktop and attach in a reply to me so I can analyse it.
Han
The reply will look like this but maybe your file is different with more spaces or something else:
{"chartid":"X40424DZZ","image_uri":"https://apps.aavso.org/vsp/chart/X40424DZZ.png?format=json","star":null,"fov":42.0,"maglimit":13.0,"title":"","comment":"","resolution":150,"dss":false,"special":null,"photometry":[{"auid":"000-BBS-237","ra":"11:33:34.42","dec":"-00:19:18.0","label":"106","bands":[{"band":"V","mag":10.645,"error":0.092},{"band":"B","mag":11.644,"error":0.16},{"band":"Ic","mag":9.648,"error":0.142},{"band":"J","mag":8.915,"error":0.029},{"band":"H","mag":8.429,"error":0.051},{"band":"K","mag":8.372,"error":0.017}],"comments":""},{"auid":"000-BBS-241","ra":"11:34:06.47","dec":"00:07:56.7","label":"111","bands":[{"band":"V","mag":11.094,"error":0.015},{"band":"B","mag":11.728,"error":0.021},{"band":"Rc","mag":10.737,"error":0.021},{"band":"Ic","mag":10.409,"error":0.025},{"band":"J","mag":9.918,"error":0.018},{"band":"H","mag":9.619,"error":0.025},{"band":"K","mag":9.562,"error":0.02}],"comments":""},{"auid":"000-BJR-410","ra":"11:33:37.37","dec":"00:06:13.8","label":"111","bands":[{"band":"V","mag":11.126,"error":0.022},{"band":"B","mag":12.403,"error":0.027},{"band":"Rc","mag":10.445,"error":0.025},{"band":"Ic","mag":9.825,"error":0.028}],"comments":null},{"auid":"000-BBS-259","ra":"11:35:03.63","dec":"00:09:03.4","label":"118","bands":[{"band":"V","mag":11.769,"error":0.036},{"band":"B","mag":12.415,"error":0.348},{"band":"Ic","mag":10.954,"error":0.122},{"band":"J","mag":10.437,"error":0.021},{"band":"H","mag":10.091,"error":0.022},{"band":"K","mag":10.012,"error":0.021}],"comments":""},{"auid":"000-BJR-411","ra":"11:33:31.27","dec":"-00:08:50.4","label":"119","bands":[{"band":"V","mag":11.926,"error":0.016},{"band":"B","mag":12.812,"error":0.023},{"band":"Rc","mag":11.424,"error":0.025},{"band":"Ic","mag":10.994,"error":0.03}],"comments":null},{"auid":"000-BJR-409","ra":"11:34:34.91","dec":"00:04:42.5","label":"123","bands":[{"band":"V","mag":12.337,"error":0.026},{"band":"B","mag":12.878,"error":0.028},{"band":"Rc","mag":12.011,"error":0.033},{"band":"Ic","mag":11.718,"error":0.036}],"comments":null},{"auid":"000-BBS-242","ra":"11:34:08.15","dec":"-00:02:30.8","label":"124","bands":[{"band":"V","mag":12.431,"error":0.015},{"band":"B","mag":12.903,"error":0.017},{"band":"Rc","mag":12.135,"error":0.04},{"band":"Ic","mag":11.853,"error":0.047},{"band":"J","mag":11.5,"error":0.023},{"band":"H","mag":11.229,"error":0.02},{"band":"K","mag":11.209,"error":0.019}],"comments":""}],"ra":"173.475392","dec":"-0.032945"}I just noted that the photometry result again contains 15 mag values in the graph that are empty in the tabular output. The corresponding images appear to look ok.
Do you still need me to run your test version?
cs Axel
Good that is promising . So it is the online database only.
Yes run the test version. I assume the problem lies in the AAVSO response from a request by the program. With the response aavso.txt file I can analyse the problem.
Not important for test version but the local database has changed with the last version. For correct working of the local database you will to need to upgrade the database and program together.
the file appears to have no crLFs so it's difficult to read.
The upgrade of the database is for the local database mag 13 and 15. The upgraded local mag 8 and 11 are included with the installer of the latest ASTAP.
Will be out right now and back in the evening
I looked to your aavso.txt file. Is identical. So this can't be the cause.
I think you already have the latest version 2025.07.08.
But lets try latest ASTAP installer and install the latest local database again. Try then again the online database and tell me if this makes any difference:
Program 2025.07.08:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/astap-program/files/windows_installer/astap_setup.exe/download
Local database installer 2025.07.08:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/astap-program/files/star_databases/variable_star_database.exe/download
Han
Installed the software from the two links but again local DB works but not the online DB
cs Axel
Hi Axel,
At least the local database is working. I still like to go to the bottom of this problem. I have prepared again a special ASTAP version which logs the communication with the AAVSO VSP better. Can you download, extract and run this version. Select the online database. Then load an image and annotate it or just run the play button. The log of ASTAP is filled with messages. See screenshot.
Call up the popup menu of the ASTAP log with the right mouse button and select "select all" Then copy them by CRTL+C and paste it into a text file and attach to your reply.
This is the special version:
http://www.hnsky.org/astap2.zip
Confirm at the same time the 000- are missing in the image annotations or make a screen shot of that annotated image
Cheers, Han
I think I found the problem. If you set the font smaller the 000- is removed and the effect happens here. Strange I could not found it earlier and I searched for the 000- removal but it didn't show up in the search.
Anyhow, just set the font size at 5 or lager in the photometry tab and it should work.
I have to separate the display annotations with the report annotations.....
Try version 2025.07.14:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/astap-program/files/windows_installer/astap_setup.exe/download
Just ran 2025.07.14 with online DB mag 15 and both font size 6 and 4 and both work.
- the issue with the outliers appears to be resolved
- you can display two variables at the same time (see attachment of graph) - is this intended?
- I noticed comparison stars are labelled -XXX-999 but the hyphen in front is of course no problem
- I would propose to color-code variable, check- and comparison stars and their error bars in the report graph - otherwise it can be very difficult to read with only one color and overlapping error bars.
- I would propose to reintroduce annotations for stars with periods of < 3 days as you had before - that makes the analysis much easier.
cs Axel
I believe you told me that the error bars (and the MERR values in the AAVSO report? ) are 3 sigma values? That would be confusing as in general error values are assumed to be 1 sigma and I guess AAVSO also expects one sigma error values in their reports as does the German BAV where I report my observations.
You can display many more if you want. The idea is to measure and report many variables in one step.
That is a small mistake and I will correct it.
The colours are now related to the filter. If you observe in two colours like B,V or more and multiple variables this colour scheme make sense. Maybe I will introduce labels but check/uncheck would also indicate which graph line is relevant.
I hoped that filtering with AUID would help. Can you demonstrate this is not sufficient? If so I will reintroduce it.
Cheers, Han
If you do a second photometry series you will get a run timer error. This is fixed today in this version 2025.07.15:
http://www.hnsky.org/astap_setup.exe
Cheers, Han
I admit I have not yet understood how this filtering works and I found nothing about it in the manual. Could you give me a hint?
Is there a way to copy files from the Lights tab to the Photometry tab? I stacked my cal_TG.fits images to get an idea of the limiting magnitude of the stacked series but now would like to run photometry again with the same files. The minibrowser allows only to select fits files but the directory contains fits, cal_fits and TG_cal.fits files so a manual selection is a lot of work. So my question about being able to shift files between tabs. Is there an easy way to it?
cs Axel
Filtering by attached settings: untitled.png
Copy from light tab, you could copy them from the results tab to photomometry tab. See attached settings untitled1.png
Easiest way is to calibrate from photmometry tab. Then you do not have to do the steps above. See attached settings untitled2.png
Does this help?
Cheers, Han
I used Online DB mag 13 (AUID &) but I do not see any difference to a 'normal' annotation setting (attachment). How can I filter by period? If one could sort the variable list not only alphabetically but by period that would also be a good option.
In next version I will add a seperate cycle period filter field.
Implemented in version 2025.07.16. See screenshot
Great, works as expected! I would propose to move the period list box directly below the font size box and add a title like 'Period:' in front of it. The mouseover is helpful but a title makes its application more obvious and fits in with the other controls.
I'll announce that change to the BAV forum if you agree. I guess that will be of interest to a lot of observers.
cs Axel
That was my first setup but the second thought was to link it to the annotation drop down list.
I think it is nice tool to find very short period variables which are suitable for a one night observation. It can be combined with the combobox filtering AUID 👌. Then the variable annotated has an AUID (allowing reporting) and a short period.
Yes announce it. Always good.
Last edit: han.k 2025-07-16