COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
        INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     Number 2293

                                              Konkoly Observatory
                                              Budapest
                                              1983 March 11
                                                                         
                                              HU ISSN 0374-0676




      ADDITIONAL HISTORICAL OUTBURSTS OF VY AQUARII


   The eruptive variable VY Aquarii (see references in
McNaught, 1983, The Astronomer 19, 156) was known to have
undergone outbursts in 1907, 1962 and 1973. The 1973 outburst 
was confirmed by Wenzel (1983, IBVS no. 2261). Wood
(1925, Bull. H. C. O. No. 826) searched the Harvard College
Observatory plate collection from 1890 to 1925 without finding 
additional outbursts.
   Examination of more than 500 sky patrol plates from the
periods 1925-1952 and 1962-1981, and a few other plates in
the Harvard collection, has revealed three additional definite 
outbursts and one possible outburst (observed on one
plate only).
   Dates and magnitudes (from the same comparison stars
used by Wenzel) are:


     UT             mpg

1929 June   3.3    >12.2  invisible
     "      5.2    >11.5     "
     "     11.1     13.1
     "     14.0      8.0:
    July    9.0     14.6
     "     13.0     12.0
     "     31.9   >>14.7  invisible

1934 June  11.0    >14.7  invisible
    "      22.3      9.0:
    "      27.2     10.8
   July     9.0    >14.5  invisible
    "       9.3    >13.1     "
    "      11.0    >13.1     "
    "      14.0     12.2
    "      17.2    >13.1  invisible
    "      18.2     14.7:
    "      20.2    >14.7  invisible
   Aug.     6.2   >>14.7     "



1941 Apr.   16.1    11.1  one plate
     May     7.1   >14.7  invisible

1942 Oct.    1.0   >11.5  invisible
     "       4.0   >13.1     "
     "       7.9    11.0
     "       8.0    11.0
     "      14.0   >14.5  invisible




MARTHA H. LILLER
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
U.S.A.