(cba:news) Swift 0732-13 and IGR 0023+61

[Joe Patterson]

Dear CBAers,

These two fascinating stars, which our coverage seems to identify as new
DQ Her (intermediate polar) stars, are really sailing off into the sunset
now.  We're urgently trying to accumulate enough late-season light curve
to tie down all the periods - before we enter the morbid 5-month silence
inflicted by the mischievous Sun!

Only a few people can do IGR 0023 now - mostly Schandinavians maybe.
Still, if they can tear themselves away from their Olympian successes in
Italy, it's likely to be a very good target for a little while longer.

Swifty (0732-13) is an utterly fascinating star.  We are getting very good
coverage from New Zealand (Grant Christie, Jennie McCormick, Robert Rea)
and just a little help from other longitudes.  There are several very
rapid periods present: 512 and 256 s (our little binary pulsar), and
possibly a couple of others.  Strangely - VERY STRANGELY! - the spectrum
is practically a perfect match to a G star.  The star is near V=14.0 and
hardly budges; it looks like a flatliner, but deep in those tiny wiggles
there beats the pulse of a hellacious mystery.  The next week is really
critical for coverage.  After that, an evening Moon will start to
interfere... and a bit later, lingering twilight.  So... except maybe for
extreme borealites, try to get this star before it gets clobbered by Sun
and Moon.  Coverage in Australia, North America, and the Europe-Africa
longitude is especially lacking - and would be great!

joe