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D. Hoffman (Georgia Institute of Technology), R. K. Honeycutt, S. Kafka (Indiana University), A. A. Henden (U.S. Naval Observatory, Flagstaff)
We present a photometric study of the old nova DK Lac, that entered a rare low brightness state in September 2000 and has not recovered. Two major sets of images were obtained, using the 1.0-m telescope of the U.S. Naval Observatory (2001) and the 0.9m WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak (2003). In the high state, DK Lac varies by only about 0.25 mag, but the low state photometry reveals hour-time-scale variations of about 1.5 mag. Possible periodicities of the system's behavior are presented, along with a discussion of the scenarios that have led to this low state. We also describe the discovery of two new variable stars in the field of DK Lac, which emerged from this study. Part of this work was done as a Research Experience for Undergraduates project at Indiana University
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.