COMMISSIONS 27 AND 42 OF THE IAU
               INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                            Number 4073

                                                   Konkoly Observatory
                                                   Budapest
                                                   18 August 1994

                                                   HU ISSN 0374 - 0676


           SPECTROSCOPY OF FAINT CATACLYSMIC VARIABLES II


                             EF Pegasi


  Recently, Howell et al. (1993) studied a rare outburst of EF Peg and showed that the
star is a large amplitude dwarf nova with a likely orbital period of 2.05 hrs. Figure 1
shows the energy distribution of EF Peg in the visible. We note a steep blue continuum
and the appearance of strong emission lines of H apparently superimposed on weak broad
absorption in the higher members. He lines in emission are also present but weaker.
Our MMT magnitude indicates that EF Peg was observed when ~1 mag brighter than its
quiescent value. If EF Peg had been observed rising to or falling from an outburst, it would
explain the steep blue continuum and the weak absorption. However, AAVSO records
(Mattei 1993) show no observation of an outburst for +/-30 days from our observation. The
steeply rising blue continuum (approximately Rayleigh-Jeans) may therefore indicate a
hot component in the system. Apparently EF Peg was slightly brighter in quiescence
than in 1993, a situation that is known to occur in a number of dwarf novae (Howell et
al. 1991). There is no indication of a secondary star seen in the spectrum.


                           KQ Pegasi (PG2240+193)

  KQ Peg is a relatively bright object discovered in the PG survey. Green et al. (1982)
found that Ha was in emission while the higher Balmer lines were in absorption. They
also suggested that there may be Fe II emission in the spectrum. Szkody and Howell
(1992) show a spectrum from 4400-5000A in which Hbeta and Hgamma are both in absorption
as well as HeI 4471. The line profiles are asymmetric with a possible cause being weak
underlying emission cores.
  A spectrum obtained by Ringwald (1993) shows Halpha and Hbeta in emission while the later
Balmer lines are in absorption. His interpretation of this system is a sdB-O star, possibly
with a long period orbit. Howell et al. (1991) provide a 3.5-hour-long lightcurve which is
constant to within 0.05 mags, consistent with a long orbital period for KQ Peg.
  An examination of our data (Fig. 2) shows that the hydrogen lines are too narrow
in absorption to be attributed to a disk. The Balmer series lines in our data show a
FWHM of ~27A. This is comparable to that predicted for sdB-O stars with log g=5
(FWHM ~24A; Bergeron et al. 1992), but much too narrow for a DA white dwarf of
log g=8 (FWHM ~80A; Wesemael et al. 1993). The system could be a pre-cataclysmic
binary, with a low mass main sequence secondary undetected in the spectrum other than
by the emission line cores caused by reprocessing of the hot star flux on the facing side
of the companion. This may result in sinusoidal periodic variations in the line strengths
(except when viewed pole-on), but the continuum may not be varying significantly at
optical wavelengths and the effect of emission lines on broad-band magnitudes may not
with a more spectacular spectrum is BE UMa (Ferguson et al. 1987). Few objects with
hot subdwarf primaries are known, and the evidence for reprocessing indicates that this
may be a pre-cataclysmic system with an orbital period of a few days or less.


                               [FIGURE 1]

                  Figure 1. MMT spectrum of EF Peg.

                               [FIGURE 2]

                  Figure 2. MMT spectrum of KQ Peg.


 The new data seen in Figure 2, show all the Balmer lines in absorption and the profiles
appear symmetric. HeI 4471 is present in absorption as well. Apparently any emission seen
in earlier data is now weak or absent, possibly due to the orbital modulation mentioned
above and not some long-term change. No secondary star features are seen but weak
features from a K star may be undetected at this resolution.
 Observations reported here were made at the Multiple-Mirror Telescope.


                         Table 1. Observing log

Star         UT Date       UT Start   Int. Time   Spectral     V^a)
                                                 Resolution
EF Peg     1992 Sep 02      03:19      3600 sec      15A       17.7
KQ Peg     1992 Sep 02      06:14       600 sec      15A       16.0

a) V magnitude derived from numerical filter convolutions of the spectra.


                        Steve B. HOWELL
                        Planetary Science Institute
                        620 N. 6th Avenue
                        Tucson AZ 85705
                        USA

                        James LIEBERT
                        Steward Observatory
                        University of Arizona
                        Tucson AZ 85721
                        USA



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