COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
           INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                      Number 3152


                                     Konkoly Observatory
                                     Budapest
                                     29 February 1988

                                     HU ISSN 0374-0676

           
             A POSSIBLE VARIABLE STAR NEAR IC 402(*)

   A star of 12th magnitude (visual) situated 0.8' south from the IC402 (Sc)
galaxy (alpha = 05h03.9m, delta = -9d10.0'; 1950) is visible on the Palomar Sky Survey
blue and red plates number 0898. The photographic magnitude of the galaxy
derived from the P.O.S.S is 13.9 (Nilson, 1973) or 13 (Voroncov-Vel'yaminov
et al., 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968).
   During an observing run with the 1m telescope at ESO, La Silla (Chile)
the star was not visible by eye through the UBVRI photometer guiding system
equipped with an RCA intensifier: the star was fainter than mv ~16.5 on 23
January, 1988, at 01h24m(UT).
   In the same conditions, the star was then visible on the following night,
as confirmed on a CCD frame kindly obtained by J. Van Paradijs at the ESO 1.54 m
telescope. Table I lists UBVRI observations made during the two nights: January
24, at 01h45m(UT) and January 25, at 02h23m(UT).

            Table I
            
Jan.24, 1988  Jan.25, 1988
V      15.57    15.14
B-V    0.585    0.937
U-B   -0.242   -0.335
V-R    0.479    0.332
V-I    0.764    0.762


                        DOMINIQUE PROUST

                        Observatoire de Meudon
                        92195 Meudon Principal CEDEX
                        France


References:

Nilson, P.; 1973, Catalogue of Selected non UGC galaxies, Uppsala
    report No. 5. [BIBCODE 1973ugcg.book.....N ]
Voroncov-Vel'yaminov, B.A., et. al, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, Morphological
    catalogue of Galaxies, Moscow State University, Moscow. [BIBCODE 1962MCG...C01....0V ]

(*) based on observations made at ESO, La Silla (Chile)