Back in 2009 the AAVSO acquired the observation records of Olin Eggen, a prominent photometerist of the past century. These were all on more than 100,000 handwritten 3x5 cards: accurate photometric measurements of stars over much of the sky in the years 1960-1985. The goal of the AAVSO borrowing the Eggen cards was to get these data into a computer database so that they would be accessible to modern researchers.
The cards are now all in an online database. Each card needs to be reviewed by a volunteer who can identify which star is being referenced on the card. When completed a researcher will be able to input a star reference and get back the images of all of the observation cards related to that star.
This project had been started 3 years ago, but stalled due to an awkward interface. It has now been redesigned and tightened up and is ready for volunteers.
You can look over the interface and instructions by going to https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/home . If you are interested in helping out, please follow the instructions there to get sign-in credentials and card batch assignment.
A great project for those cloudy nights!
Cheers,
George
SGEO
ps 7,204 cards reviewed so far, 101,042 to go!
AAVSO HQ is excited that the Eggen database is now in a format easily accessed by volunteers helping to identify the stars in it. We are grateful to George Silvis (SGEO), who has worked very hard to create this excellent database and its friendly interface from the card images scanned by HQ assistants and volunteers, and who is coordinating the cataloguing phase of the project. Thank you, George!
The information in this database is a real treasure trove of astronomical observations just waiting to be explored once the cards are catalogued. Cataloguing the 100,000+ cards is a big project that many hands would make much easier to accomplish. It isn't hard work - I'm among those doing it and I can tell you it isn't hard, a little tricky sometimes but mostly reasonably straightforward and something anyone can learn, regardless of whether they are an observer or not. Familiarity with star names helps but certainly is not necessary.
For more information on Olin Eggen, his research, and his cards please visit http://www.aavso.org/olin-eggen-observation-cards
Come join us in creating a scientific resource!
Elizabeth Waagen
I want to iterate the call for volunteers to this project. Please take a look at the project details at https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/home
So far a lot of people have looked at the original email, but no volunteers so far.
This is a fun project to soak up some of your spare time and contribute to the AAVSO goals. I'm available to help you get started and answer any questions about the project.
This looks to be a 2 man-year project; we need many hands!
Take a look, ask questions!
Cheers,
George
SGEO
Sorry George, I was one of those who looked at the email and the website but never followed up :( .
I'll be happy to volunteer.
Kris Larsen
LKR
Read through the documentation at https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/ and then send me a note at George@GASilvis.net and I'll send you sign on credentials to the Eggen Portal and you can begin work on your first bundle of Eggen Cards.
Cheers,
George
70 days into the project. Cards Classified:
overall: 8,534 / 108,246 99,712 to go
last month 1451 cards. 28.9 hours spent
Two volunteers so far. We need more!
Its a cataloging project. Tedious for sure. But so is a lot of science. And it creates a valuable resournce.
Please look over the documentation at https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/home and consider joining the team.
A great cloudy night activity, or when the spouse is watching the telly.
Cheers,
George
SGEO
94 days into the project. Cards Classified:
overall: 9,678 / 108,246 98,568 to go
last month 2,636 cards. 45.6 hours spent
Six volunteers now enrolled. We need more!
Its a cataloging project. Tedious for sure. But so is a lot of science. And it creates a valuable resournce.
Please look over the documentation at https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/home and consider joining the team.
And if anyone has suggestions on how to get more volunteers, please suggest! An Astronomy club project or school astronomy class; anyone who can click on a browser and is willing to join the team is welcome. I'm willing to train anyone!
Cheers,
George
SGEO
128 days into the project
12,478 / 108,246 cards classified. 95,768 to go!
Last month: 2,814 cards classed, 53.5 hrs spent by 3 volunteers
Look for us at the AAVSO October conference! I'll present a talk about the project and also a poster presentation on how the classification process is performed.
It's a big project, and needs volunteers who might have some time to spend in front of a computer to help classify Olin Eggen's raw data. Please take a look at https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/ to learn about the project and how to join us.
Thanks,
George
George introduced me to this project at the AAVSO meeting. It has a very nice interface and is surprisingly addictive!
An interesting issue is that Simbad has entries for Luyten's "Bruce Proper Motion" survey stars, with their very approximate coordinates, but the true object is likely now identifiable but is not actually cross-referenced with the BPM entries. I have been choosing the BPM numbers on the assumption that once someone does cross-reference such BPM stars, their IDs and other info will easily be merged.
Cheers,
Doug
154 days into the project
16,144 / 108,246 cards classified. 92,618 to go!
Last month: 3,721 cards classed, 46.7 hrs spent by 5 volunteers, 3 of them new to the project last month.
This was an exciting month. I presented at the AAVSO October meeting a paper and a poster, druming up interest and volunteers the project. 4 people signed on! The power point and poster are available on the EggenCards Project site.
It's a big project, and needs volunteers who might have some time to spend in front of a computer to help classify Olin Eggen's raw data. Please take a look at https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/ to learn about the project and how to join us.
Thanks,
George
195 days into the project
16,987 / 108,246 cards classified. 91,775 to go!
Last month was a bit slow: only 3 people working on it for 17 hours, 869 cards classed.
Last month was much busier: 3,721 cards classed, 46.7 hrs spent by 5 volunteers, 3 of them new to the project last month.
It's a big project, and needs volunteers who might have some time to spend in front of a computer to help classify Olin Eggen's raw data. Please take a look at https://sites.google.com/site/eggencards/ to learn about the project and how to join us.
Thanks,
George
We are now at the 24% mark: 26,000 cards examined and classified by the AAVSO volunteers.
I presented a report at the Nov general meeting and expressed the hope that in Nov 2015 I would be able to report the completion of this phase of the project. 4 volunteers signed on have been able to move us forward.
Please consider joining the team. Many hands will make this go faster. Review the project description and consider joining the project.
Thanks,
George
I’ve been working on the Eggen cards for a couple of months now. The portal is well set up and makes it easy to check cards. The first few can be confusing, but you can get the hang of it quite fast. You will notice patterns and abbreviations that Eggen used.
Stars are often reference with multiple designations to make identification simple. A few examples are: numbers in upper right are usually MCC numbers, Y refers to PLX, w to GCRV.
Give it a try. It’s a good thing to do with your morning coffee.
Duane Dedrickson