TW Pic and RZ Leo

From: Joe Patterson <*jop_at_astro.columbia.edu*> Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 21:08:47 -0500 (EST) · jop_at_astro.columbia.edu

Dear CBAers,

Tonny's announcement of the superhumps in RZ Leo - just erupted - is
wonderful news, and since this is an equatorial target, let us now rally
to the support of this star, a fine bright thing at mag 12.6 or so.
We've tracked the orbital period spectroscopically and photometrically,
and thought we might have to wait another 10-15 years for a superoutburst
to learn P(superhump).  But now it has arrived.  Not the most perfect
placement in the sky, but with our longitude range we should be able to
say the 24-hour dragon.

So this is the top priority star to do!

But let me also remind about TW Pic's sterling performance this year.
This star looks like it might be trying to tell us something qualitatively
new about the period structure in CVs.  I've never seen a power spectrum
like this one before.  Usually that just means "it's very complex".  But
not here - it's not particularly complex, but flashes some periods (one
near 6.5 hr and one near 16 hr) which are just not declaring membership in
any of the established categories (spin, orbit, superhump, precession).
Robert Rea is doing a GREAT job on this star, and now Fred, Jennie, and
Gordon (happily reinstalled in AU) have joined the party.  Some help from
South Africa or South America would be good, and even Australia (since our
main southern power is of course NZ).

Let 'em both thrive.  These are two great stars for the CBA!

    joe

Not RZ Leo Minoris, another CV of note, but RZ (Big) Leo.  Chart in Downes
and Shara.