RADIAL-VELOCITY OBSERVATIONS OF LONG-PERIOD VARIABLES

A program has been established at Erwin W. Fick Observatory to monitor radial velocities of long-period variable stars. A Griffin-type coude radial-velocity spectrometer equipped with specially designed compound masks capable of measuring both absorption and emission velocities was employed. T Cep, x Cyg, and Mira were observed near maximum light; velocities obtained were found to be consistent with values in the literature. The system appears to be an effective means of monitoring velocity fluctuations on time scales ranging from one hour to several months.