COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U
        INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     NUMBER 214

                                     Konkoly Observatory
                                     Budapest
                                     10 August 1957


                     FP CARINAE


The long-period eclipsing binary, FP Carinae, discovered by E. Hertzsprung
during a lunar eclipse (1), has a period very nearly six times the moon's
synodic period and a minimum of short duration (~0.035 P). A series of 103a-O
plates (without filter) was taken with the 10-inch Metcalf refractor of the
Boyden Observatory to cover the January 1967 minimum, about 20 years since the
last published observations. Blue magnitudes (approximately B on the standard
UBV system) were transferred to six comparison stars from Koelbloed's
photoelectric sequence in NGC 3532 (2). The bright star in the chart is CPD
-61d2067.

a=9.^m75
b=10.10
c=10.55
d=11.05
e=11.30
f=11.80

The rising branch of the minimum was observed as follows:


                        [FIGURE 1]

J.D. -2439500    B
5.^d0243      11.^m10
5.0368        11.15
5.8052        10.95
5.8184        10.85
6.8604        10.10
6.8743        10.25
7.8194        10.15
7.8306        10.25

Using the mean light curves of E. Hertzsprung (3) and S. Gaposchkin (4), the
minimum was estimated at:

J.D. 2439503.7

confirming Gaposchkin's revised elements (5):

Min.=J.D. 2421725.048+176.^d027 E

with O-C=-0.^d1 at E=+101.


Armagh Observatory,
August 1, 1967.
                                            A.D. ANDREWS

References:

1) E. Hertzsprung, B.A.N. Vol. 3, No. 95, 108 (1926). [BIBCODE 1926BAN.....3Q.108H ]
2) D. Koelbloed, B.A.N. Vol. 14, No. 489, 265 (1959). [BIBCODE 1959BAN....14..265K ]
3) E. Hertzsprung, B.A.N. Vol. 3, No. 109, 203 (1926). [BIBCODE 1926BAN.....3..203H ]
4) S. Gaposchkin, H.A. Vol. 113, No. 2, 88 (1953). [BIBCODE 1953AnHar.113...67G ]
5) S. Gaposchkin, H.A. Vol. 115, No. 5, 86 (1946). [BIBCODE 1952AnHar.115...61G ]