UNATTENDED H-ALPHA SPECTROSCOPY OF P-CYGNI AND BETA-LYRAE

An experiment in automated, unattended fiber-optic stellar spectroscop y is described. Particular attention is paid to the critical technique for placing the program star in the optical fiber. As a feasibility d emonstration study, the equipment and technique have been used to acqu ire Halpha spectra of P Cygni and beta Lyrae over a six-week period. T he P Cyg spectra show little systematic variability with time. The bet a Lyr spectra are assembled into a gray-scale phase-resolved spectral image. When displayed in this manner, the Halpha and He I lines bear a resemblance to the spectra of cataclysmic variable stars that display a third-emission component, or S-wave.