COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
        INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                    Number 1858

                                   Konkoly Observatory
                                   Budapest
                                   1980 October 24

                                   HU ISSN 0374-0676




             THE SPECTRUM OF R SEXTANTIS




    R Sex (HD 84127=BD -7d2873) was noted as variable between
9.7 and 10.6 pg at Harvard some 85 years ago, but in recent years
its variability has been questioned and it is considered as "constant?" 
in the GCVS. The Henry Draper Catalogue classifies it as
Mb, but apparently no other spectroscopic observations exist. On
two blue objective-prism plates taken for the Michigan Southern
Hemisphere Spectral Survey made available to the writer through
the kindness of Dr. N.Houk, R Sex appears as an M5 star with
hydrogen emission:

         Date             Spectrum
     March 13, 1970  H_gamma rather weak, H_delta considerably
                     stronger than H_gamma
     March 1, 1971   H_gamma and H_delta equal and moderately
                     weak

    In view of its spectral type, the presence of emission,
and its evident spectral variability, it seems very likely that
R Sex does indeed deserve its variable star designation.





                       WILLIAM P. BIDELMAN
                       a Warner and Swasey Observatory
                       Case Western Reserve University
                       Cleveland, Ohio 44106