[Aavso-photometry] Var Her 04 Update & Info on Progenitor and Possible New Variable

[Aaron Price]

  I have updated the online light curves. Continue to monitor and take as
much data as possible. This could be a busy week for Var Her 04. I also
made an animated gif out of a collection of phase diagrams. I took our
data and divided it into 7 segments and folded it on the 0.0578 period. In
the beginning of the campaign the results are mixed. But towards the end
the data becomes more steady and the period is easily seen, one can also
detect the slight lengthening of the period which is expected in superhump
evolution.
  I have updated the online charts with the latest V and B-V data and also
added Bruce Gary's R data. All light curves, the animated gif and the
chart are available here:
                 http://www.aavso.org/news/her04.shtml

  There seems to be a hint of strange activity from 2453180.55 -
2453180.91.  Two observers, Gary Walker (WGR) and John Blackwell (BKL)
have coincident observations that seem to detect a short lived period
shift. If you have any observations from that period which you have not
submitted yet, please send it ASAP. We're not sure it is definitely
something, but it is worth looking at more data.

  John Greaves has done some data mining of the highest calibre regarding
the possible progenitor of Var Her 04. With permission, I quote from an
e-mail from him: "...the progenitor of this star lies near the tip of a
spur in the r'_CMT-J > versus J-Ks colour - colour diagram uniquely
occupied by type K to M dwarfs [which makes sense considering CVs have a
red dwarf component]...  The progenitor star's details are 13CMC
J183926.1+260409 and 2MASS J18392619+2604087." He adds that a professional
should confirm his sleuthing before it gets published.

  John has also found some information online regarding the possible field
variable N of Var Her 04. He says, "...is a semiregular variable with a
sixty-ish day period, and strangely despite being a variable as shown by
NSVS data, is not included in their recent list of red variables they
found in their data.  Sixty-ish day period on a lowish amplitude (~ 0.5
mag) SR would give a hint of around the 0.1 mag range quoted for over a
few nights, but that still could be just scatter. Raw 'reddish mag'
lightcurve here, where the coords are given too.
http://skydot.lanl.gov/nsvs/star.php?num=8176317&mask=32020 "

ERRATA: In my last updated I reported way too many observations. Upon
further review we found that many of the observations were duplicates that
have been submitted multiple times. The correct total number of
CCD observations to date is 3454.

Aaron