COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U. INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS NUMBER 734 Konkoly Observatory Budapest 1972 October 31 TWO NEW PROBABLE SYMBIOTIC STARS WITH VARIABLE SPECTRA Sanduleak and Stephenson (1972) have recently reported five stellarlike peculiar emission-line objects having very strong [OIII] lambda4363 emission. A comparison of their blue objective-prism spectrum of one of these, Henize 38 (Henize 1967), with a description by Webster (1966) based on narrow- band photoelectric photometry led them to conclude that the spectrum may be variable and that the object may be a symbiotic star with exceptionally strong lambda4363 emission. Webster had classified this object as a probable planetary nebula, and it is listed as 280-2deg 1 in the Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae (Perek and Kohutek 1967).We have available two IIa-O objective-prism plates of Henize 38 taken nearly four years apart with the University of Michigan's Curtis Schmidt- type telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, and they confirm the variable nature of the spectrum mentioned by Sanduleak and Stephenson. The first of these was taken in May 1967, and four emission lines are present: H_beta, lambda4686,lambda4363 and H_gamma. If the density of lambda4363 is taken as 1.0, then H_gamma=lambda4686~1.2, and H_beta~~2.5;the excitation class on the Aller system (1956) is 7. The second blue plate was taken in February 1971, and the emission lines present are: lambda5007, H_beta,lambda4363, and H_gamma. Taking the density of H_gamma as 1.0, then H_beta~~lambda5007~~2.0, and lambda4363 ~~ 3.0; the Aller excitation class is 2 or 3.0n neither plate is there evidence of a continuum. We also have available a red (098-02 + RG 1; taken April 1972) and two low-dispersion near-infrared (I-N + W 89B; taken March 1970 and April 1972) plates of Henize 38. On the red plate there may be a faint continuum present and there are four faint emission lines in addition to the strong emission at H_alpha; Henize (1967) made no mention of emission lines other than H_alpha, and Sanduleak and Stephenson mention the presence of lambda6300 of [OI] which is one of those we see. The other line that can be identified with certainty is lambda6678 of He I. Measures of the remaining two emission lines on the plate (420 A/mm at H_alpha) place them near lambda6080 and lambda6850. The dispersion curve for this spectral region was determined from measures and a line list of Eta Carinae (Gaviola 1953). A suggested identification for the shortward line is a blend of [Fe VII] and [Ca V] at lambda6085.5 and lambda6085.9, respectively. According to Merrill (1950) the forbidden iron line is present in spectra of the symbiotic stars CI Cygni and Z Andromedae; we have a northern red objective-prism plate of the latter star and, indeed, the wavelength coincidence is exact for the line near lambda6080 in Z And and Henize 38. We have no suggested identification for the line near lambda6850 in Henize 38. The near-infrared plates (3500 A/mm at A-band) of this object show a very strong continuum, particularly beyond lambda8000, however no TiO bands are evident. The other object we wish to report as a probable symbiotic star is uncatalogued. It was found on a IIa-O objective-prism plate (taken in July 1969) and has lambda5007 and lambda4363 emission with perhaps a trace of lambda4959 and H_gamma emission and no continuum; if the density of lambda4363 = 1.0, then lambda5007~~ 1.2. The approximate position for 1900 is: 17h38.9m, -2d04'. We have no red or infrared plates of this object. Sanduleak (1972) has examined the object on two low-dispersion blue objective-prism plates taken with the Burrell Schmidt telescope of Case Western Reserve University and reports that the emission lines are absent on the plate of June 2/3 1959, but that on June 25/26 1959 there were three emission features present: if the density of H_beta = 1.0, then lambda5007~~1.5, and lambda4363+H_gamma~~3. The densities on the latter plate indicate a substantial change from those mentioned. above. Sanduleak also has a red objective-prism plate showing sharp H_alpha emission with no continuum. The finding chart for this object was drawn by hand from the red print of the Palomar Sky Survey; the object is 153.5 mm W of the [FIGURE 1] E edge and 62.8 mm N of the S edge of the red print at 0d 17h36m. Examination of the object on the blue and red Palomar prints shows that it is brighter in the red and that there is some faint nebulosity associated with it. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation. D. J. MacCONNELL Department of Astronomy University of Michigan References: Aller, L.H. (1956) Gaseous Nebulae, (The International Astrophysical Series, London and New York), p. 65. Gaviola, E. (1953) Ap. J. 118, 234. [BIBCODE 1953ApJ...118..234G ] Henize, K.G. (1967) Ap. J. Suppl. 14, 125 (No. 126). [BIBCODE 1967ApJS...14..125H ] Merrill, P. W. (1950) Ap. J. 111. 484. [BIBCODE 1950ApJ...111..484M ] Perek, L., and Kohoutek, L. (1967) Catalogue of Galactic Planetary Nebulae, (Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague). [BIBCODE 1967cgpn.book.....P ] Sanduleak, N. (1972) private communication. Sanduleak, N., and Stephenson, C.B. (1972) Pub. A.S.P. (in press). [BIBCODE 1972PASP...84..816S ] Webster, L. B. (1966) Pub. A.S.P. 78, 136. [BIBCODE 1966PASP...78..136W ]