COMMISSION 27 OF THE I.A.U.
              INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                           Number 1299

                                                    Konkoly Observatory
                                                    Budapest
                                                    1977 July 5


       A SEARCH FOR LONG PERIOD CEPHEIDS IN NORMA

According to radioastronomical data (e.g. Kerr, 1969) a
spiral arm may be running tangentially along the line of sight
near l = 328deg, in the Norma section of the Milky Way. Thus, one
would expect to find several long period cepheids belonging to
this arm but, in fact, few are known at present. The lack of
cepheids might be an observational effect, however, (see McCarthy
and Havlen, 1975) so that it is important to extend to fainter
magnitudes the search for variable stars near l = 328deg.
   We undertook a search for variable stars in a 2x2 deg region
centered at R.A. (1950) = 15h51.3m, Decl. (1950) = -54d19'
(l = 327.62d, b = -0.65d), using B and V plates obtained with
the Yale-Columbia astrograph at El Leoncito (San Juan, Argentina) and
with the Curtis Schmidt-telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American
Observatory (CTIO). Ten pairs of B plates from El Leoncito and
two pairs of B plates from CTIO were used for the search with
the blink microscope of La Plata Observatory. Eight new variables 
were discovered together with the two previously known variables 
GN Normae and SY Normae and the suspected variable 2515 =
HV 8812 (Kukarkin et al., 1951, Luyten, 1934, 1938).

                     Table I

Positions and magnitude ranges of the variable stars found.

Star     R.A. (1950)   Decl. (1950)   B range

 1       15h46m00.4s   -54 07'18"    16.7- >18.0m
 2       15 46 44.2    -53 36 45     14.2-  15.3
 3       15 51 48.7    -54 43 11     16.2-  17.5
 4       15 48 38.8    -55 08 37     13.9-  14.4
 5       15 48 07.0    -53 46 27     15.6-  16.6
 6       15 49 17.6    -53 26 37     15.2-  16.5
 7       15 55 54.0    -54 02 22     15.2-  16.0
 8       15 53 25.0    -55 08 29     16.3- >18.0


                       Finding charts

                         [FIGURE 1]


   Table I gives 1950 positions and estimated magnitude ranges for
the new variables; charts for the new variables and also for
the suspected variable 2515, for which no published chart is
known to us, are also provided. Chart size is about 10' x 10';
North is up, East to the left.
   A study of these variables by means of photographic BV
photometry is under way at present at La Plata Observatory to
decide what kind of variables they are.
   We are very grateful to the authorities of the CTIO and
the Observatorio Astronomico "Felix Aguilar" for the use of the
telescopes. Travel expenses to CTIO were covered by a grant from
the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas
de la Republica Argentina to JCM. Special thanks are due to
Lic. R.B. Orellana for the computation of the positions.


           A. LAURENTINO CABRERA, JUAN C. MUZZIO *+

                  Observatorio Astronomico,
          Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina


                    and GABRIEL SANCHEZ

             Observatorio Astronomico "Felix Aguilar",
           Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Argentina.



References:

Kerr, F.J. 1969, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 7, 39 [BIBCODE 1969ARA&A...7...39K ]
Kukarkin, B.V., Parenago, P.P., Jefremov, J.I., and Cholopov, P.N. 1951,
   Catalogue of suspected variable stars, Moscow [BIBCODE 1951CSV...C......0K ]
Luyten, W.J. 1934, Astron. Nach. 253, 135 [BIBCODE 1934AN....253..135L ]
Luyten, W.J. 1938, Minn. Publ. 2, No. 6
McCarthy, M.F., and Havlen, R J. 1975, Discussion quoted on Dudley Obs. Report
   No. 9, 398


*: Visiting Astronomer, Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory,
   Supported by the National Science Foundation under contract
   No. NSF-C866.
+: Member of the Carrera del Investigador Cientifico del Consejo
   Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas de la
   Republica Argentina.