COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
         INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     Number 2087

                                 Konkoly Observatory
                                 Budapest
                                 1982 February 12

                                 HU ISSN 0374-0676


               THE DELTA SCUTI VARIABLE HR 1287



   The variability of HR 1287 (44 Tauri) was noted by Henriksson (1977),
who listed it as a Delta Scuti variable with amplitude 0.104m and period
0.1266d on the basis of six nights of observations over a six-month period.
HR 1287 was observed at the Blue Mountain Observatory on September 24-25,
1979 with the 40-cm Cassegrain reflector and a Johnson single-channel
photoelectric photometer equipped with an EMI 6256B photomultiplier. A
Corning 3384 filter was used to define the V band. The photomultiplier
signal was fed through a DC amplifier to a voltage-to-frequency converter,
whose output was integrated by an electronic counter for ten seconds.
   The stars HR 1269 and SAO 76480 were used as the comparison and check
stars, respectively. The smoothed magnitude differences between HR 1287
and HR 1269 are plotted in Figure 1 as a function of Heliocentric Julian
Date. A five-point running average was used to smooth the original data,
which consisted of averages of three ten-second integrations spaced about
two minutes apart. An additional straight average of pairs of successive
points was applied to arrive at the points plotted in Figure 1. The
scatter in the magnitude difference between the comparison and check
stars was +-0.007m.
   It appears from Figure 1 that the amplitude and period of HR 1287
were 0.083m and 0.1724d, respectively, on September 24-25, 1979. The
maximum brightness occurred at HJD 2,444,141.8975, and the minimum
brightness occurred at HJD 2,444,141.9837. The period given above was
determined by doubling the time difference between maximum and minimum
brightness. Thus it assumes that the brightness variation is perfectly

                          [FIGURE 1]

 Figure 1. V-filter light curve of HR 1287 on September 24-25, 1979.


sinusoidal, which, of course, is not very likely. Even so the large
difference between the value for the period given by Henriksson and
that found above suggests either multiperiodic behavior for HR 1287 or
a very rapid rise from minimum to maximum brightness (about 0.04d to
permit the observations presented here to be consistent with Henriksson's
period of 0.1266d). The fragmentary portions of the rising brightness
section of the light curve given in Figure 1 do not seem to indicate
such a rapid brightness rise. Thus it appears more likely that HR 1287
is multiply periodic. A much less likely prospect is that it has only
a single fundamental period which underwent rapid change between the
time of Henriksson's observations and those presented here. However,
the elapsed time of 3-4 years would seem to rule out this possibility.
Further monitoring of HR 1287 will be carried out in order to clarify
its behavior.

                      THOMAS E. MARGRAVE
                      Blue Mountain Observatory
                      University of Montana
                      Missoula, Montana 59812
                      USA



Reference:
Henriksson, G. 1977, Astr. and Ap., 54, 309. [BIBCODE 1977A&A....54..309H ]