BELGIAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY V.V.S. - Working Group Variable Stars Cataclysmic Variables Circular No.33 1995, April 06 Ed.: T. Vanmunster, Walhostraat 1A, 3401 Landen, BELGIUM Internet: tvm@lms.be TEL. 32-11-831504 P. Van Cauteren, de Borrekenslaan 54, 2630 Aartselaar, BELGIUM Internet: pvancaut@innet.be TEL. 32-3-8774098 =================================================================== AL Com [UGWZ, 12 - 20.5] ======================== Several reports have been received informing us about an outburst of this extremely important cataclysmic variable. Dave York, Abiquiu, New Mexico, was the first observer to notice the current outburst. Available observations are presented in the table below. T. Kato, Ouda Station, Japan, emails : "The present extremely rare outburst of AL Com will certainly provide one of the best opportunities in revealing the nature of WZ Sge-type dwarf novae, or TOADs, to which AL Com is suspected to belong ... Observations of superhumps or other short-term variability (like "super Quasi Periodic Oscillations") at the earliest stage are highly recommended." Steve Howell, Planetary Science Institute, Arizona : "AL Com is a verly large amplitude TOAD and suspected of being a magnetic system ... It is highly likely to have a post outburst brightening. So do not stop observations after it fades. Watch for a rebrightening a day or so later, up to mag. 14 ... I'm trying to organize multi-wavelength campaigns and so far have some photometric and some spectroscopic observations scheduled from ground based telescopes. However, the more the better, as weather and observing schedules are not very helpful in terms of providing continuous coverage." AL Com was last seen in outburst in 1975, from March 16 till June 29. It faded to magnitude 17.3 in the middle of the outburst, but then brightened considerably again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DATE (UT) MAGN MS SEQ OBSERVER REMARKS SOURCE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1995 04 03.804 15.7::mv Szentasko, L. 33-cm refl. VSNET 1995 04 03.840 [14.8 mv AA Vanmunster, T. 33-cm refl. VVS 1995 04 03.854 [13.9 mv AA Schmeer, P. 20-cm SCT VSNET 1995 04 03.973 [14.7 mv Poyner, G. 40-cm refl. VSNET 1995 04 04.97 [13.7 mv AA Schmeer, P. 20-cm SCT VSNET 1995 04 05.149 14.9 mv AA York, D. 45-cm refl. AAVSO 1995 04 05.600 12.7 mv AA Cragg, T. -cm refl. AAVSO 1995 04 05.799 12.4 mv Szentasko, L. 33-cm refl. VSNET 1995 04 05.830 11.8 mv AA Pietz, J. 20-cm SCT VSNET 1995 04 05.833 12.2 mv AA Schmeer, P. 20-cm SCT VSNET KV And [UGSU, 14.6p - 22.5p] ============================ Refering to the outburst announcement in CVC 32, we received an additional observation from Gary Poyner, Birmingham, UK : 1995 03 12.807 UT, 14.2: (G. Poyner, 0.40-m refl.); Tonny Vanmunster