GCVS ivo://nasa.heasarc/gcvs NASA/GSFC HEASARC Samus et al. 2026-10-09 NASA/GSFC HEASARC help desk heasarc-vo at athena.gsfc.nasa.gov Star Work aimed at compiling detailed catalogs of variable stars in the Galaxy, which has been carried out continuously by Moscow variable-star researchers since 1946 on behalf of the International Astronomical Union, has entered the stage of the publication of the 5th, completely electronic edition of the General Catalog of Variable Stars (GCVS). The GCVS 5.1 is freely accessible on the Internet. The authors recommend citing their paper as a unified reference to the 5th edition of the GCVS. The GCVS is the only reference source on all known variable stars. This version contains the electronically-readable version as distributed by the Sternberg Astronomical Institute and Institute of Astronomy (Russian Acad. Sci.), Moscow. After the publication of Volume III of the 4th edition of the GCVS, the subsequent Name-lists with numbers from 67 to 77 contained only names of variable stars in the GCVS systems, together with their coordinates and variability types. The authors actually started compiling the 5th edition of the GCVS ten years ago, with the 78th Name-list of Variable Stars, which provided (as did all subsequent Name-lists) complete GCVS information for each star (in addition to the variability types, ranges of brightness variations, epochs of brightness maxima or minima, periods, etc.). In all, the 78th-81st Name-lists contain more than 13300 variable stars. The complete revision of information on the coordinates of variable stars (see the Introduction section of the reference paper) was also a part of the transition to the 5th edition. The present electronic version of the GCVS5.1 is available from Sternberg Astronomical Institute (Lomonosov Moscow University) and Institute of Astronomy (Russian Academy of Sciences) at &lt;a href="http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/gcvs/"&gt;http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/gcvs/&lt;/a&gt; as a first release of the fifth GCVS edition. Information on the contents and principles of the fifth edition can be found in Samus et al. (2017), the official reference to GCVS 5.1. The GCVS 5.1 version contains data for individual variable objects discovered and named as variable stars by 2021 and located mainly in the Milky Way galaxy. The total number of named variable stars, not counting designated non-existing stars or stars subsequently identified with earlier-named variables, is now 58035. The stars of the GCVS 5.1 are stars of the GCVS fourth edition plus Name-lists Nos. 67-84. The stars from the Name-lists Nos.78-84 are presented in the complete GCVS format. Complete information for stars of the Name-lists Nos. 67-77 is so far provided in the first 20 constellations (Andromeda to Cepheus). In these constellations, the GCVS information has been completely revised with active use of new publications as well as observations retrieved by the GCVS compilers by data mining and used to determine new variability types and new light elements whenever possible. The authors are continuing this work and will introduce new data for the next constellations as soon as they are ready. This version of the GCVS catalog was last updated by the HEASARC in June 2026 using the latest file at &lt;a href="http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/gcvs/gcvs5/gcvs5.txt"&gt;http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/gcvs/gcvs5/gcvs5.txt&lt;/a&gt;. This is a service provided by NASA HEASARC . 2017ARep...61...80S https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/W3Browse/all/gcvs.html Catalog Research served-by HEASARC TAP https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/xamin/vo/cone?showoffsets&table=gcvs& GET text/xml 180 99999 true 222.56025 -89.78305556 0.0166666666666667 https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/xamin/vo/tap https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/W3Browse/getvotable.pl?name=gcvs GET text/xml https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/W3Browse/w3query.pl?tablehead=name=heasarc_gcvs&Action=More+Options&Action=Parameter+Search&ConeAdd=1 STAR CATALOG 0.0166666666666667 Optical public gcvs General Catalog of Variable Stars (2025-12 Version) name Variable Star Designation meta.id;meta.main char nullable ra Right Ascension degree pos.eq.ra;meta.main double nullable dec Declination degree pos.eq.dec;meta.main double nullable spect_type Spectral Type src.spType char nullable min_mag_limit Limit or Amplitude Flag [<(] for Minimum Magnitude meta.code;phot.mag char nullable min_mag Minimum Magnitude or Amplitude mag phot.mag;stat.min double nullable max_mag_limit Limit or Amplitude Flag [<>(] for Maximum Magnitude meta.code;phot.mag char nullable max_mag Magnitude at Maximum Brightness mag phot.mag;stat.max double nullable variability_type Type of Variability meta.code;src.var char nullable period_limit Limit Flag [<>(] for the Period meta.code;time.period;stat.max char nullable period Period of the Variable Star d time.period double nullable period_flag Flag [:] Indicates Uncertainty in Period meta.code;time.period char nullable "__x_ra_dec" System unit vector column double nullable "__y_ra_dec" System unit vector column double nullable "__z_ra_dec" System unit vector column double nullable "__row" System index column char nullable rise_eclipse_time Rising Time or Duration of Eclipse percent time;arith.ratio short nullable lii Galactic Longitude degree pos.galactic.lon double nullable variable_star_cpt Component Identification meta.code.multip char nullable period_precision Precision of Period Value (Number of Digits After the Decimal Point) meta.code.qual;time.period short nullable nova_year Year of Outburst for Nova or Supernova time.epoch short nullable new_variability_type The New Type of Variability meta.code;src.var char nullable coordinates_epoch Epoch of the Coordinates yr time.epoch double nullable sec_min_mag Secondary Minimum Magnitude or Amplitude mag phot.mag;stat.min double nullable sec_min_mag_alt_sys Alternative Photometric System for Secondary Minimum Magnitude meta.code;instr.filter char nullable max_mag_flag Uncertainty Flag [:] for Maximum Magnitude meta.code;phot.mag;stat.max char nullable alt_name Other Designation of the Variable Star meta.id char nullable epoch Epoch for Maximum Light (Julian Days) d time.epoch;stat.max;phot double nullable coordinates_epoch_flag Flag [?] Indicates Uncertainty in the Coordinates Epoch meta.code;time.epoch char nullable nova_year_flag Uncertainty Flag [:] for Year of Outburst meta.code;time.epoch char nullable pm_dec Proper Motion-Declination arcsec/yr pos.pm;pos.eq.dec double nullable min_mag_flag Uncertainty Flag [:] for Minimum Magnitude meta.code;phot.mag;stat.min char nullable ref_star Reference to a Study of the Star meta.ref char nullable bii Galactic Latitude degree pos.galactic.lat double nullable position_flag Flag [:] Indicates Position Accuracy meta.code;pos char nullable class Browse Object Classification src.class short nullable ref_astrometry The Source of Astrometric Data meta.ref char nullable pm_ra Proper Motion-Right Ascension arcsec/yr pos.pm;pos.eq.ra double nullable period_note Note Regarding Period meta.note;time.period char nullable ref_astrometry_flag Flag [?] Indicates Uncertainty in Identification meta.code char nullable comment_flag Flag Indicates Non-Existence of the Variable meta.code char nullable eclipse_var_note Note Regarding Eclipsing Variable meta.note;src.var char nullable note_flag Flag [Y] Indicates Remark in Published Catalog meta.code;src char nullable mag_system Code for Photometric System for Magnitudes meta.code;instr.filter char nullable rise_eclipse_time_flag Flag [:] Indicates Uncertainty in Rising Time or Duration of Eclipse meta.code;time;arith.ratio char nullable epoch_flag Uncertainty Flag [:+-] for Epoch stat.error;time.epoch char nullable epoch_precision Precision of Epoch Value (Number of Digits After the Decimal Point) meta.code.qual;time.epoch short nullable min_mag_alt_sys Alternative Photometric System for Minimum Magnitude meta.code;instr.filter char nullable sec_min_mag_flag Uncertainty Flag [:] for Secondary Minimum Magnitude meta.code;phot.mag;stat.min char nullable variable_star_number Numeric Designation, Made from Constellation and Star Names meta.id int nullable sec_min_mag_limit Limit or Amplitude Flag [<(] for Secondary Minimum Magnitude meta.code;phot.mag char nullable ref_chart Reference to a Chart or Photograph meta.ref char nullable