COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
           INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                        Number 3457

                                           Konkoly Observatory
                                           Budapest
                                           7 May 1990

                                           HU ISSN 0374 - 0676


    STROMGREN PHOTOMETRY OF A POSSIBLE VARIABLE STAR NEAR NGC 663

  A possible unknown variable star has been found in the vicinity of the
highly reddened open cluster NGC 663*. After the final reduction of the
photometric data the star turned out to be a 10th magnitude foreground
star. The star numbered as No. 12 in our observing list, has been identified 
as No. 8 in the table of the photographic data for NGC 663 in the atlas 
of Hoag (1961) with plate coordinates x = -6.50 and y = 7.78. Hoag
gives a photographic V magnitude of mv = 10.06.
   From an inspection of the BD chart we identified the star as
BD +60 330 which is equivalent to SAO 11965 with coordinates
           (1950.0) = 1h 42m 30.148s
           (1950.0) = 61d 01 52.41".
   The r.m.s. scatter of the reduced mean photoelectric y magnitudes of
the star is more than three times larger than for the other stars in our
list. BD +60 330 was observed 10 times between October 25, 1989, and 
February 22, 1990. Table I contains the y magnitude, the uvby colour indices,
and Julian date (JD). Our results seem to indicate a period in the order of
one day and an amplitude of variability in the y magnitude of 0.4.mag. From
the mean uvby colour indices we derived a spectral type of F5. More 
observational data are needed to confirm the variability found, and to make a
classification of this suspected variable star possible.





* Based on observations collected at Gothard Astrophysical Observatory of
 Eötvös University, Hungary


                   Table I


Julian date      y      b-y      m1      c1

2447825.4957   10.126   0.310   0.151   0.456
    825.5568    9.941   0.411   0.031   0.343
    826.4597    9.891   0.369   0.140   0.435
    826.5050   10.078   0.508   0.122   0.584
    827.4030   10.216   0.305   0.156   0.373
    828.4392   10.034   0.435   0.069   0.437
    901.4152    9.855   0.512   0.034   0.466
    911.4136   10.252   0.361   0.104   0.459
    915.3487   10.127   0.360   0.117   0.525
2447945.3948   10.225   0.320   0.152   0.472

   The last observation was obtained with the 90 cm telescope of Jena
   University at Grosschwabhausen observing station GDR.


                         H.-G. REIMANN

                         Universitats-Sternwarte Jena
                         Schillergasschen 2

                         Jena
                         DDR-6900

  Reference:
  Hoag, A.A., Johnson, H.L., Iriarte, B., Mitchell, R.L., Hallam K.L. and
     Sharpless, S.: 1961, Publ. US Naval Obs. 2nd Ser.Vol.XVII, Part VII [BIBCODE 1961PUSNO..17....1H ]