COMMISSION 27 OF THE I.A.U.
              INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                           Number 1420

                                                     Konkoly Observatory
                                                     Budapest
                                                     1978 May 5


                IS 20 Cep A VARIABLE STAR?

20 Cep (K4 III) has been used as the primary comparison star
for photometry of VV Cep, which is a well-known eclipsing binary
star and the egress is predicted to occur from April to August of
1978. From a narrow-band photometry at Dodaira Station of the Tokyo
Astronomical Observatory, we find that 20 Cep became brighter in
the period of 1977 December to 1978 January than in the period of
1976 November to 1977 February; the magnitude differences are

    0m.13 in 3500 A, 0m.08 in 4170 A, and 0m.05 in 5080 A.

   Table 1 shows the standard stars used and the magnitude 
differences.


                       Table 1

Magnitude differences of 20 Cep between 1976 November to 1977 February
                and 1977 December to 1978 January.

Standard stars   Spectral type       Magnitude differences      Weight
                                   3500A      4170A     5080A

delta And            K3 III        0.067      0.000    -0.006      1
107 Psc              K1 V          0.355      0.288     0.138      1
51 And               K3 III        0.224      0.149     0.068      1
alpha Ari            K2 III        0.173      0.135     0.088      2
iota Per             G0 V          0.142      0.068     0.041      2
omega Per            K0 III        0.160      0.103     0.017      1
lambda Aur           G0 V          0.150      0.055     0.047      3
10 Lac               O9 V          0.114      0.066     0.050      3
HR 8832              K3 V          0.057      0.052     0.024      5
weighted mean                      0.132      0.083     0.047


                                         MAMORU SAITO

                                     Tokyo Astronomical
                                     Observatory, Japan