COMMISSION 27 OF THE I.A.U.
                 INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                             Number 3230

                                                         Konkoly Observatory
                                                         Budapest
                                                         22 August 1988

                                                         HU ISSN 0374 - 0676


               1976 LIGHT CURVES OF BX ANDROMEDAE

BX And (SVS 995, HD 13078, BD +40d442) is the brighter companion of the visual
binary ADS 1671 (Sigma 215). The GCVS (1985) lists its spectral class to be F2 V.
Its variability was discovered by Soloviev (1945), who reported it to be of
Algol type. Ashbrook (1951), by studying 200 Harvard patrol plates, confirmed
the binary nature of BX And and stated it to be of Beta-Lyrae type. Svolopoulos
(1957) published normal points and began s Russell-Merrill (1952) analysis
which he abandoned due to complications in the rectified light curve. Todoran
(1965) completed the solution and determined preliminary orbital elements for
the system. Additional light curves have been published by Castelaz (1979) and
Rovithis and Rovithis-Livaniou (1984). Sets of light elements have been
determined by Ashbrook (1951), Svolopoulos (1957), Chou (1959), and Castelaz
(1979). Chou (1959) and Ahnert (1975) determined that BX And has undergone a
major period change of about 0.25s. Using all available epochs of minimum light
we have confirmed this. A least squares fit of the photoelectric data shows
that this occurred in 1946.
   The present observations were made on three nights in September and two
nights in November, 1976 using the 41 cm Cassegrainian telescope of the
Morgan-Monroe station of the Goethe Link Observatory of Indiana University.
Standard U,B,V filters were used with a dry-ice-cooled 1P21 photomultiplier
tube. The comparison and check stars were BD +39d476 and BD +39d480,
respectively. Standard magnitudes were determined for the comparison and
variable star. They are listed in Table I. Over 1000 observations in B and V
wavelengths and over 900 observations in U were obtained.


                            [FIGURE 1]

 FIG. 1 = Light curves of BX And defined by the individual observations.


                   Table I

Standard Magnitudes of the Comparison Star and Variable

   Star        V    B-V     U-B    Phase

Comparison   8.96   0.44   -0.01    ----
BX And       8.65   0.45    0.04    0.25

   Kaitchuck and Faulkner (1977) published four epochs of minimum tight from
these observations. The rather large O-C's obtained from these and other
photoelectric epochs indicate that the system is very active and may be
undergoing erratic and continuing minor period changes.
   The U, B and V light curves of BX And defined by the individual observations
are shown in Figure I Delta_m versus phase. The analysis of the observations
is underway.


                      RONALD G. SAMEC
                      RITA E. FULLER

                 Dept. of Physics & Astronomy
                      Butler University
                  Indianapolis, IN 46208 USA

                            and

                    RONALD H. KAITCHUCK

                   Department of Astronomy
                    Ohio State University
                   Columbus, OH 43210 USA



References:

Ahnert, P. 1975, Mitteilungen uber Veranderliche Sterne 6, 189 [BIBCODE 1975MitVS...6..189A ]
Ashbrook, J. 1951, Astron. Journal 56, 54 [BIBCODE 1951AJ.....56...54A ]
Castelaz, M. 1979, I.B.V.S. No. 1554
Chou, K.C. 1959, Astron. Journal 64, 468 [BIBCODE 1959AJ.....64..468C ]
GCVS 1985, 4(1)
Kaitchuck, R.H. and Faulkner, D.R. 1983, I.B.V.S. No. 2321
Rovithis P. and Rovithis-Livaniou H. 1984, Astr. and SP. Sci. 105, 171 [BIBCODE 1984Ap&SS.105..171R ]
Russell, H.N. and Merrill, J.E. 1952, Contr. Princeton Univ. Obs. No. 26 [BIBCODE 1952deeb.book.....R ]
Soloviev, A. 1945, Astr. Circ. Acad. Sci. U.S.S.R., No. 44
Svolopoulos, S.N., 1957, Astron. Journal 62, 330 [BIBCODE 1957AJ.....62..330S ]
Todoran, I. 1965, St. Cerc. Astron. 10, 71