COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
                  INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                               Number 2487

                                                    Konkoly Observatory
                                                    Budapest
                                                    6 March 1984

                                                    HU ISSN 0374 - 0676



       PHOTOELECTRIC OBSERVATIONS OF THE EW-VARIABLE VZ Psc


  VZ Psc is a neglected EW binary system. Discovered by Moorhead (Wolff et
al., 1965), this 10-th magnitude variable was observed by Eggen (1967), who
gave a mean time of minimum and a period of 0.261 d. More recently VZ Psc was
observed visually by European Groups BBSAG (Locher, 1977) and GEOS (Poretti,
1979): 16 visual minima were collected and a period between 0.261178 and
0.261195 d was proposed.
  The star was observed photoelectrically during two nights at the 102 cm
reflector of Merate Observatory, using a standard V filter, a Lallemand 
photomultiplier and a Gardiner type integrator (the integration time was set to 20
sec.). The variable was observed differentially relative to Eggen's comparison
star; the southern star of the couple lying near the comparison star was used
as check star (see the chart published by Giclas et al., 1959).
  On the night of September 3, 1983 VZ Psc was observed From 2445581.47 to
2445581.56 and no minimum was detected: the shape of the light curve suggests
that minima occurred just before and just after the observations.


                             [FIGURE 1]

 Figure 1   Light curve of VZ Psc on the night of JD 2445639.
            DeltaV are in the sense "comparison minus variable".


On the night of October 31, 1983 the variable was observed for 0.19 d
and a minimum was detected: it was calculated at J.D.hel. 2445639.3113
(sigma = 0.0002) using Kwee and Van Woerden`s method (1956). Figure 1 
shows the light curve obtained.
It is very difficult to say if it is a primary or a secondary minimum.
The maximum following the minimum seems to be brighter than the preceding
one; the descending branch observed at the end of the night suggests a minimum
fainter than the observed one. Having respect to the small-scale light
curve published by Eggen (1967) it seems that the observed minimum is a 
secondary, but a great uncertainty exists.
Further observations of this short period eclipsing variable are requested.





                          E. PORETTI
                     Osservatorio Astronomico
                     22055 Merate (CO)
                     Via E. Bianchi 46
                     Italy 




References:
Eggen, O.J., 1969, Astropys.  J., 150,  L111. [BIBCODE 1969ApJ...158L.111E ]
Giclas, H.L., Slaughter, C.D., Burnham, R., 1959, Lowell Obs. Bull., No. 102. [BIBCODE 1959LowOB...4..136G ]
Kwee, K.K., and Van Woerden, H., 1956, Bull. Astron. Inst. Neth., 12, 327. [BIBCODE 1956BAN....12..327K ]
Locher, K., 1977, BBSAG Bull., No. 35.
Poretti, E., 1979, GEOS Circular EB 4
Wolff, S.C., Wallerstein, G., and Sandage, A.R., 1965, P.A.S.P., 77, 370. [BIBCODE 1965PASP...77..370W ]