Data sources

Surveys

6 surveys, 14.27 billion epochs in release v2026.09.25. Each keeps its own bands, time system and quality rules; light curves are never merged across surveys or bands.

If you use a survey's light curves, cite it. Each survey page lists its papers, acknowledgment, license and data URL. AAVSO VSX and Gaia are credited on every star.

  1. ASAS-SN

    Sky Patrol v2

    light curves held over 100.0% of the sky

    2011-11-26 → 2024-05-31

    • g
    • V

    4.53 billion epochs held

    stars with a light curve
    2,994,897
    with ≥ 1 detection
    2,994,412
    ASAS-SN details →

  2. Gaia

    DR3

    light curves held over 100.0% of the sky

    2014-07-25 → 2017-05-28

    • G
    • BP
    • RP

    1.27 billion epochs held

    stars with a light curve
    9,158,464
    with ≥ 1 detection
    9,158,464
    Gaia details →

  3. OGLE

    OCVS

    light curves held over 10.0% of the sky

    1997-01-07 → 2026-01-15

    • I
    • V

    1.39 billion epochs held

    stars with a light curve
    683,856
    with ≥ 1 detection
    683,856
    OGLE details →

  4. ZTF

    DR24

    light curves held over 75.8% of the sky

    2018-03-20 → 2025-10-22

    • g
    • r
    • i

    7.02 billion epochs held

    stars with a light curve
    4,995,226
    with ≥ 1 detection
    4,926,139
    ZTF details →

  5. ASAS-3

    ACVS

    light curves held over 44.9% of the sky

    2000-11-20 → 2008-04-19

    • V

    27.6 million epochs held

    stars with a light curve
    50,475
    with ≥ 1 detection
    50,475
    ASAS-3 details →

  6. MASCARA

    MVS

    light curves held over 6.2% of the sky

    2015-02-02 → 2016-04-01

    • V

    26.7 million epochs held

    stars with a light curve
    3,265
    with ≥ 1 detection
    3,265
    MASCARA details →
What these counts are

Stars with a light curve: stars with at least one light curve from the survey. With ≥ 1 detection: those with at least one detection after the survey's quality and detection rules.

Sky fraction: share of HEALPix order-6 cells (about 0.9° across, the map's own) holding at least one light curve from the survey. It is where the archive holds curves, not the survey's footprint, so a survey held for a few thousand bright stars reads low. The map beside it is the survey's stars with a light curve per cell (log scale) in its first band's ink, over the whole archive's sky in gray, Galactic Mollweide.

Years: one lane per band, from its first held epoch to its last, on a ruler shared by every card (1997–2027). A band observed in several series (OGLE II, III, IV) is a lane in segments.