COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U. INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS Number 1743 Konkoly Observatory Budapest 1980 February 20 HISTORICAL LIGHT CURVE FOR STEPANIAN'S VARIABLE STAR IN SERPENS Stepanian (1979) reports observations of an unusual variable star in Serpens. A search of the plate collection at the Harvard College Observatory has produced B magnitudes, presented in Table 1, from 1897 to 1979. Comparisons were made with a rough sequence set up from the Palomar Sky Survey blue print (see Liller and Liller, 1975). Figure 1a shows a light curve for this star, and Figure 1b gives the points from 1936 to 1951 on an expanded scale. The light curve is reminiscent of that for R Coronae Borealis (Mayall, 1960), with a clear minimum in 1949-50 (during which the PSS-O exposure was made) and suggestions of less pronounced minima in 1917 and 1969, and possibly in 1897. A computer search for periodicity of the many observations in 1937-1940 revealed no significant period between 20 and 160 days. Also, there seems to be no simple period that fits the observed minima. [FIGURE 1] Fig. 1 a. Light curve for Stepanian's Variable in Serpens from 1897 to 1979. b. Repeat of Fig. 1a from 1936 to 1951 on an expanded scale. Table 1. B magnitudes for Stepanian's Variable in Serpens J.D. Mag. J.D. Mag. J.D. Mag. J.D. Mag. 14098 >14.4 27949 13.6 29396 13.7 33098 17.9: 15095 13.6:: 27952 13.8 29396 13.6 33389^* 17.4 15134 14.1 27985 13.8 29408 13.5 33446 14.1: 15189 13.8 27986 13.6 29419 13.7 33448 13.7 15502 13.9 28011 14.0 29429 13.5:: 33450 13.8 16257 13.9 28308 13.7: 29429 13.3 33477 >14.1 16341 14.3 28342 13.7: 29429 13.4 33752 13.9 18494 >14.1 28602 14.1 29696 13.7:: 33781 >14.1 19813 14.3 28604 13.8 29702 13.8 39943 14.0 21284 >14.1 28614 14.1: 29721 13.7 40323 >14.4 21308 14.7 28626 13.9 29726 13.5 40324 >14.7 22025 14.3 28636 13.7 29726 13.3 40332 >14.7 25301 14.0 28644 13.7: 29730 13.4 40383 >14.1 25325 13.8 28654 13.5 29730 13.5 40735 14.0 25361 13.5 28654 13.6: 29734 13.6: 42134 13.8 25361 13.6 28656 13.7 29734 13.5 42154 13.8 25361 13.8: 28656 13.7 29734 13.5 42217 13.8:: 25362 13.7 28666 13.6 29748 13.8 42514 13.9 25363 13.6:: 28663 13.6: 29760 13.8 42549 14.3: 25363 13.7 28683 13.6: 29760 14.1: 42573 13.7: 25379 13.7 28684 13.6:: 29762 13.9 42595 13.8 25379 13.4 28696 13.8 29783 14.0:: 42845 >14.1 25379 13.5 28700 13.5: 29787 14.0:: 42932 13.5 25382 14.1:: 28724 13.5:: 29787 13.7:: 42934 13.5 25383 13.8:: 28964 13.9 29816 13.5:: 42977 13.3 25383 13.7 28982 13.8 29819 13.8:: 43009 13.7 26059 13.3:: 28985 13.8 30113 13.5 43285 14.0:: 26725 13.3 28993 13.8 30118 13.7:: 43334 13.8 26826 13.5: 28993 13.9 30438 13.7:: 43573 13.5 27158 14.0 28996 14.1:: 30444 13.7: 43611 13.5:: 27457 13.7: 28996 13.8: 30843 13.6 43630 13.7 27576 13.5: 29022 13.6 31223 13.5: 43659 13.8:: 27839 13.8 29022 13.5 31523 14.0 43685 14.1:: 27840 14.0 29050 13.8 31549 13.7: 43716 13.3: 27875 13.4 29050 14.1 31911 14.2: 43955 13.5 27903 14.4 29052 13.8 31963 14.1: 43987 13.7 27918 14.0 29070 13.3: 32297 14.0 44016 13.9 27924 13.9 29339 13.5: 32728 13.9 44040 13.8 27944 13.6 29339 14.1 32984 13.8 27948 13.9 29344 13.5 33062 >15.3 27948 13.9 29377 13.5 33066 >15.3 ^* magnitude from PSS-O print. MARTHA H. LILLER Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 60 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. References: Liller, M.H. and Liller, W. 1975, Astrophys. J. Lett. 199, 133. [BIBCODE 1975ApJ...199L.133L ] Mayall, M.W. 1960, Journal Roy. Astr. Soc. Canada 54, 193. [BIBCODE 1960JRASC..54..193M ] Stepanian, J.A. 1979, I.B.V.S. No. 1630.