Photometry of Science images necessitates the identification of the target variable star, along with one or more reference stars, one check star, and potentially zero or more comparison stars. Throughout this chapter, we will commonly refer to the reference, check, and comparison stars as calibration stars. For each selected calibration star, it is essential to provide information about their magnitudes in various color bands, among other details.


To streamline this process, Phoranso employs an intelligent Variable Star Database, allowing you to input information about your target star and calibration stars just once. Phoranso memorizes this information for future use in what we term an ID Card. This functionality eliminates the need for repetitive data entry, ensuring consistency in your comparison stars even over extended periods of time.


The Variable Star Database contains a dedicated ID Card for every Target star you intend to measure in your Science images. These ID Cards can be generated from a DSS image, an AAVSO chart, or one of your FITS images. 


ID Cards can be active or inactive. Marking an ID Card as inactive means it will remain in the Variable Star Database but will be excluded from photometry calculations. You have the flexibility to reactivate an inactive ID Card at any time.


The ID Card manager serves as a user-friendly tool, providing the capability to view all ID Cards within the Variable Star Database. It allows for sorting and searching, as well as editing cards, offering a convenient way to manage and organize your collection of ID Cards.