COMMISSION 27 OF THE I.A.U.
              INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                           Number 1215

                                             Konkoly Observatory
                                             Budapest
                                             1976 December 7


                   PI PISCIS AUSTRINI

This star was announced as a Cepheid variable of amplitude 
0.3 mag and period 7d.975 by Strohmeier et al. (1965). However, 
Petit (1972 a,b) pointed out that the star's spectral type
is F0 IV-V, making it extremely doubtful that it could be a
Cepheid. Janot-Pacheco (1974 a,b) made seven photoelectric 
observations of Pi PsA that showed no variations in excess of the
photometric errors. Bopp et al. (1970) found the star to be a
single-lined spectroscopic binary of period 178.3d.
   During October and November 1975, the writer made 6 photoelectric 
observations of Pi PsA with 61- and 91-cm telescopes at
Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory. The y filter of the
Stromgren four-color system was used, and the nearby star
HR 8760 AB was chosen as comparison star. The heliocentric
times of observation and magnitude differences (variable minus
comparison) are given below:

JD 2442709.652   -1.338 mag
       710.561   -1.321
       712.634   -1.320
       728.581   -1.325
       729.591   -1.324
       731.648   -1.335

   If the star is variable at all, the evidence of Janot-
Pacheco and the present work indicates that the amplitude is
less than 0.02 mag. The earlier observations of Strohmeier et
al. must be erroneous or refer to another star. It seems
improbable that they could represent an eclipse of the primary
star.
   The writer thanks G. Wallerstein for suggesting these
observations.


                                 HOWARD E. BOND *

                          Department of Physics and Astronomy
                          Louisiana State University
                          Baton Rouge, Louisiana U.S.A.



References:

Bopp, B.W., Evans, D.S., and Laing, J.D. 1970, MNRAS, 147, 355 [BIBCODE 1970MNRAS.147..355B ]
Janot-Pacheco, E. 1974a, Astr. and Astrophys., 34, 325 [BIBCODE 1974A&A....34..325J ]
Janot-Pacheco, E. 1974b, IBVS, No. 918
Petit, M. 1972a, IBVS, No. 680
Petit, M. 1972b, IBVS, No. 695
Strohmeier, W., Knigge, R., and Ott, H. 1965, IBVS, No. 86


* Visiting Astronomer, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory,
  which is operated by the Association. of Universities for
  Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the U.S. National
  Science Foundation.