[vsnet-alert 511] Re: V803 Cen

[Taichi Kato <tkato@kusastro.kyoto-u.ac.jp>]

Dear Peter Nelson and southern friends,

    V803 Cen is now considered to be a double-degenerate helium cataclysmic
varible of AM CVn-type (see O'Donoghue et al. 1987, MNRAS 227, 347 for
an early report; various good review articles exist on AM CVn stars, e.g.
Warner 1995, ApSS 225, 249).  Since V803 Cen is known to show large amplitude
variations as in CR Boo, close monitoring of this object may reveal its
still poorly understood outburst (or fading) property.  The northern counter-
part, CR Boo, has been recently shown by Patterson et al. (cf. vsnet messages
Nos 606, 607 and 645) to erupt every 0.8 day during its normally outbursting
phase, and to exhibit superhumps during its long-lasting bright outbursts.
Observers of V803 Cen are therefore requested to monitor this object every
clear night (hopefully several times a night), rather than what is used to
be done for monitoring R CrB stars.

Regards,
Taichi Kato

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