COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
         INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     Number 2024

                                  Konkoly Observatory
                                  Budapest
                                  1981 October 9

                                  HU ISSN 0374-0676





     THE SPECTRUM OF THE SUSPECTED VARIABLE HD 33331




  Recently, Manfroid and Renson (1981) announced the variability 
of HD 33331 with a period of 1.14d and suggested that
the star might be an Ap star. No details of the amplitude
or form of light variation were given.
  The star has been observed by Olsen (1975) in the uvbybeta
system and spectroscopically by us (ESO 1.5m coude, La Silla,
Chile, at 20 A/mm)in a radial velocity programme. The three
plates, taken in September and November 1974, show a range
of 5 km/s in radial velocity, consistent with the scatter 
expected for a constant velocity. The spectrum is rather sharp
-lined, with v sin i around 50 km/s, and the spectral type is
close to B8. No significant spectral variations or peculiar
spectral features are seen, and the spectrum is entirely 
consistent with that expected from the uvby indices. We cannot
estimate the luminosity class with certainty from these plates,
but the Beta value by Olsen (1975) places the star in the lower
half of the main sequence band. We note that Houk (1978) classified 
the star B5III, which is certainly earlier than indicated 
by our plates.
  We cannot exclude the possibility that HD 33331 might be a
mild He-weak or similar type of peculiar star, but there are
no visible spectral peculiarities at our dispersion. The 
possibility of the star being an ellipsoidal variable seems ruled
out by the slow rotation and apparently constant radial velocity. 
If the light variations of the star are confirmed, spectroscopic 
observations at higher resolution will be needed to
clarify their origin.





           J. ANDERSEN and B. NORDSTROM

           Copenhagen University Observatory
           Brorfelde, DK-4340 Tollose,
           Denmark.





References:
Houk, N.: 1978, Michigan Spectral Catalogue, Vol. 2 [BIBCODE 1978mcts.book.....H ]
Manfroid, J., Renson, P.: 1981 IBVS No. 2004
Olsen, E.H.: 1975, Astron.Astrophys.Suppl.Ser. 29, 313. [BIBCODE 1977A&AS...29..313O ]