COMMISSIONS 27 AND 42 OF THE IAU
             INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                         Number 3957

                                               Konkoly Observatory
                                               Budapest
                                               29 November 1993

                                               HU ISSN 0374 - 0676


              AO AQUARII AND ITS GCVS CHART REFERENCE



 It has been shown that large errors do exist in the published positions of some variable
stars (Lopez, 1989; Lopez and Girard, 1990). While continuing the work around the South
Galactic Pole Region it was noted that the survey machine centered on a star image. The
location of this image did not agree with the chart listed in the GCVS reference. A
question therefore arose as to whether or not this chart was correct for this star.
 AO Aquarii=CoD -23d17297=HV 3368=HV 4974 was first announced by Pickering
in 1913 and was rediscovered in 1931 by Emily Hughes. A chart by Shapley and Swope
(1931) for HV 4974 was located. This chart did identify the variable as the star image
the survey machine centered. I now had two charts each identifying AO Aquarii as two
different stars. In correspondence with Dr. Dorrit Hoffleit it was determined that the
chart referenced by the GCVS might have interchanged the variable position and the
comparison star (b) position.
 Measurements by the author are given in epoch 1950 with an accuracy of 0.7" referenced
to the system of the SRS.

                               [FIGURE 1]

 Figure 1. GCVS refers to this identification chart (Tsessevitch, 1954) where
               AO Aqr and comparison star b are interchanged



 GCVS reference chart, comparison star b (believed to be AO Aquarii)
                  R.A. = 22h08m45.1s
                  DEC.= -23d02'06.4"
 GCVS reference chart, variable position (believed to be comparison star b)
                 R.A. = 22h08m45.2s
                 DEC.= -22d56'52.7"



                          Christopher PREDOM
                          34 Longmeadow Ave.
                          Hamden, Connecticut 06514
                          USA



References:

Hughes, E., 1931, Harvard Bulletin, No. 883
Lopez, C.E., 1989. Journ. Amer. Assoc. Var. Star Obs., 18, No. 2
Lopez, C.E., Girard, T.M., 1990, PASP, 102, No. 665  
[CORRECT REFERENCE] [BIBCODE 1990PASP..102.1018L ]
Pickering, E.C., 1913, Harvard Circulars, No. 179
Shapley, H., Swope H., 1931, Harvard Bulletin, No. 885
Tsessevitch, V.P., 1954, Odessa Izv., 4, No. 1