by Anthony Ayiomamitis
The large-amplitude short-period pulsating star KZ Hya is a fast pulsating variable star with a period of 85.70 minutes and which involves a delta mag of 0.80 (V) magnitudes during this brief time interval. KZ Hydrae has been studied fairly intensely during the past few decades and ever since its discovery in 1975 by Przybylski and Bessell. It has been noted that its period is continuously increasing with the passage of time, thus suggesting that a degenerate companion which is not visible must be present. Further details from the General Variable Star Search Gateway are available here whereas an AAVSO finder chart is available here.
Technical Details:
Date: Feb 08-09, 2011 @ 23:15 - 02:54 UT+2
Location: Athens, Greece (38.2997° N, 23.7430° E)
Equipment: AP 160 f/7.5 Starfire EDF, AP 1200GTO GEM, SBIG ST-10XME, SBIG CFW10, SBIG LRGB filters
Integrations: Lum @ 200 x 60 sec, Dark @ 10 x 60 sec, Flat @ ~ 24,200 ADU, Binning: 2x2, CCD @ -25.0° C
Further information: http://www.perseus.gr/Astro-Photometry-Hya-KZ-20110208.htm