COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
         INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     Number 1959

                                   Konkoly Observatory
                                   Budapest
                                   1981 April 30

                                   HU ISSN 0374-0676


           SPECTRAL CHANGES IN GK PER (1901)


The old nova GK Persei (1901) has been spectroscopically observed
during the February-April 1981 outburst with the 122 cm and 182
cm reflectors of the Observatory of Asiago.
An Echelle spectrogram in the Halpha region (disp. 16 A/mm) taken
on March 27.83 UT, when the star was near its light maximum
( cf. IAUC 3574, 3587 ), shows an inverse P Cyg profile.
A prism spectrogram ( disp. 60 A/mm at Hgamma ) obtained on April
2.85 UT, during the early decline ( m_v ~= 11.6, from plates obtained 
at Asiago with the 90/65 cm and the 50/40 cm Schmidt telescopes ), 
shows that the HeII lambda 4686 emission is considerably
stronger than in all our previous spectra until January 1981.
The intensity ratio Hbeta/HeII lambda 4686 has changed from >=2.3 ( light
minimum ) to 1.2 ( early decline ).
On April 14.82 UT and 15.81 UT, during the late decline, two
grating spectrograms ( disp. 120 A/mm ) show a marked weakening
of all the emissions: faint Halpha, barely visible Hbeta and HeII and
no trace of Hgamma.
Such a behaviour, also observed during the outburst of some
U Gem stars (see Warner,B.: 1976, IAU Symp. No. 73, p. 85 ), indicates 
that the H emission decrement is larger than the absorption 
decrement.

                            A. BIANCHINI
                            F. SABBADIN
                      Osservatorio Astrofisico
                          Asiago (Vicenza)
                               Italy