COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U
     INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                  NUMBER 255

                            Konkoly Observatory
                            Budapest
                            1968 February 19


              BW Tau = 3C 120


The purpose of this communication is to note that the irregular 13.^m7 to
14.^m6 variable BW Tau = HV 10387 (alpha=04^h30.^m5, delta=+05d 15.'0, 1950.0)
discovered by Hanley and Shapley (1940) is, in fact, the Zwicky compact galaxy
II Zw 0430+05 (from a list kindly circulated by Dr. Zwicky) which is
identified with the radio-variable radio source 3C 120. This source has
aroused much interest recently (Kellermann and Pauliny-Toth, 1968; Oke,
Sargent, Neugebauer and Becklin, 1968). It is also listed as a peculiar galaxy
by Vorontsov-Velyaminov and Arhipova 1964 and as a radio source in the Parkes
(Day, Shimmins, Ekers and Cole, 1966) and 4C (Gower, Scott and Wills, 1967)
surveys. Thus any observations made of this object by variable star observers,
particularly in the past, would be of great interest. However, care should be
taken in interpreting the observations in view of the extended nature of the
galaxy.


                                                  M.V. PENSTON
Royal Greenwich Observatory
Hailsham, Sussex,
ENGLAND

References

Day, G.A. Schimmins, A.J. Ekers, R.D. and Cole, D.J. (1966) - Aust. J. of Phys.
   19, 35 [BIBCODE 1966AuJPh..19...35D ]
Gower, J.F.R., Scott, P.F. and Wills, D. (1967) - Mem. R.A.S. 71, 49 [BIBCODE 1967MmRAS..71...49G ]
Hanley, C.M. and Shapley, H. (1940) - HB No. 913. [BIBCODE 1940BHarO.913....9H ]
Kellermann, K.I. and Pauliny-Toth, I.I.K. (1968) - Ap.J. (in press) 
Oke, J.B., Sargent, W.L.W., Neugebauer, G. and Becklin, E.E. (1968) - Ap.J. (in
press)
Vorontsov-Velyaminov, B.A. and Arhipova, V.P. (1964) - Morphological
   Catalogue of Galaxies, Vol 3 Moscow [BIBCODE 1964MCG...C02....0V ]