COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
           INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                        Number 955

                                       Konkoly Observatory
                                       Budapest
                                       1975 January 13

   PHOTOMETRIC OBSERVATIONS OF THE SUSPECTED VV CEPHEI STAR
                       BD +61deg219

   The star BD +61deg219 has been classified as a VV Cephei binary
by Mme Barbier (1971) on the basis of spectrographic evidence. As
this star lies in a field patrolled since the end of 1965 with
the 20 cm astrograph of the Teramo Observatory, I have examined
its photometric behaviour during these years. On the 81 available 
plates the magnitude of the star has been determined with a
Zeiss G2 Schnellphotometer using 6 comparison stars whose photographic 
magnitudes had been calibrated photoelectrically; the 
results are given in the following table, the mean internal error
of one magnitude being +-0.05:

    J.D.   m_pg      J.D.    m_pg      J.D.    m_pg
24

39089.3   11.80   39295.6   11.20   39505.4   11.45
  090.3   11.70     298.5   11.30     684.5   11.45
  093.5   11.60     298.6   11.25     712.6   11.35
  107.3   11.55     299.5   11.25     732.4   11.45
  114.4   11.70     300.5   11.35     734.5   11.40
  126.4   11.65     326.5   11.30     740.5   11.40
  154.3   11.60     321.5   11.30     761.4   11.35
  172.4   11.50     326.5   11.30     767.5   11.25
  175.3   11.45     348.4   11.45     827.5   11.45
  175.4   11.40     350.5   11.35   40090.5   11.35
  181.4   11.50     351.6   11.40   41183.4   11.20
  184.3   11.40     352.6   11.40     188.4   11.15
  198.3   11.50     353.5   11.20     193.5   11.25
  200.3   11.45     361.6   11.40     214.3   11.15
  202.3   11.65     376.4   11.20     221.5   11.30
  203.3   11.50     377.4   11.30     236.4   11.25
  206.3   11.50     379.4   11.45     243.4   11.30
  207.3   11.40     382.5   11.30     245.4   11.20
  209.3   11.65     384.5   11.50     297.5   11.15
  211.3   11.45     385.5   11.40     301.4   11.30
  215.3   11.65     392.5   11.30     365.4   11.30
  264.6   11.45     412.4   11.45   42003.3   11.35
  267.6   11.35     413.5   11.55     007.3   11.30
  268.6   11.55     414.6   11.45     010.3   11.35
  270.6   11.35     417.5   11.45     252.4   11.45
  293.6   11.40     476.4   11.30     385.3   12.30
  294.6   11.40     501.4   11.45     398.2   11.35

At the beginning of the observations, from about J.D. 39100 to
39300 (November 1965 - July 1966), the light curve shows a rising

of 0m.4; afterwards the star seems to stay at maximum brightness
with some fluctuations between 11m.2 and 11m.4 but unfortunately
the observations are too scanty to draw a certain conclusion. The
initial rising might be the final phase of an eclipse, the slow
recovery of the maximum brightness after the fourth contact 
being characteristic of some VV Cephei eclipsing variables as in
the case of AZ Cassiopeiae (Tempesti 1968); if this conjecture
is right, the period should be not shorter than 3500 days.
   Photoelectric observations performed in two nights with a
40 cm refractor give, by comparison with the very close Johnson's
standard star BD +61deg195, the following magnitude and colour:

      V = 9m.46 +- 0.03      B - V = + 2m.14 +- 0.05


                      [FIGURE 1]

      Photographic light curve of BD +61deg219


                                       P. TEMPESTI
                                Osservatorio Astronomico
                                di Teramo - Italy


References:
Barbier, M., 1971. Astron and Astrophys. 14, 396 [BIBCODE 1971A&A....14..396B ]
Tempesti, P., 1968, Atti dell'XI Convegno della Soc.Astron.Italiana
          Teramo, Note e Comunicazioni N. 44.