COMMISSION 27 OF THE I.A.U.
               INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                            Number 1493

                                                      Konkoly Observatory
                                                      Budapest
                                                      1978 September 21


      Z ANDROMEDAE: IUE AND OPTICAL OBSERVATIONS IN 1978

Since many years the symbiotic star Z Andromedae is in a
quiescent phase (Mattei 1978), and coordinated optical and ultraviolet 
observations may hold an important clue to identify the
stellar components of this classical object.
   Low resolution IUE spectra (1150-3300 A) of Z And were obtained 
on 1978, May 5 and June 13. The UV spectrum is dominated
by strong emission lines, both permitted and forbidden, having a
wide range of ionization energy. Very prominent are HeII 1640 to
3202, CIV 1550, NV 1240, OIII 3133.
    Near 2200 A the emission line spectrum is probably depressed.
by the interstellar absorption band, indicating that Z And is a
somewhat reddened. In the far UV, where the crowding of the emission
lines is less severe, a smoothed continuum is present under the
emission lines. The dereddened energy distribution corresponds to
that of an early B or O-type star.
   Several objective prism spectra (3400-8800 A) of Z And were
obtained at the Campo Imperatore Schmidt telescope of the Roma
Astronomical. Observatory during October 1977, and July-August 1978.
The star shows a typical symbiotic spectrum with several high 
excitation emission lines, in particular [FeVII], the Balmer continuum 
in emission, and an intense red-infrared spectrum dominated
by the TiO bands, whose strength corresponds to an M6 spectral type.
   Small variations of emission line intensities were observed
during 1977-78.
   In July 1978 the visual magnitude of Z And, estimated from
the count rate of the fine error sensor of IUE, was about 10m.3.
   This work is based on observations by the International
Ultraviolet Explorer collected at the Villafranca Satellite
Tracking Station of the European Space Agency.


         G.B. BARATTA                       A. ALTAMORE

 Osservatorio Astronomico, Roma         Istituto Osservatorio
                                       Astronomico, Universita
                                               di Roma
         A. CASSATELLA

 ESA Villafranca Satellite Tracking               R. VIOTTI
  Station, on leave of absence from
Laboratorio di Astrofisica Spaziale,      Laboratorio di Astrofisica
             Frascati                          Spaciale, Frascati



Reference:

Mattei, J.A. 1978, J. Roy. Astron. Soc. Can. 72, 61 [BIBCODE 1978JRASC..72...61M ]

Editor's note: This paper came to the editor's hand on September 21,
1978. Its release; however, had to be delayed until the appearance 
of the commissioning phase papers.