Proposal #98

These three stars are all interesting examples of different classes of cataclysmic variables but nonetheless suffer from neglect by observers:

MV Leo is an active Z Cam star that exhibits long standstills, sandwiched between equally long stretches of "normal" behavior. This star is a high-priority target at Rolling Hills Observatory (RHO) but currently receives little attention otherwise. V imaging every 2-3 nights by AAVSOnet would greatly improve the coverage and help improve the detection of standstills.

V838 Mon is a well-observed "red nova" that underwent an outburst in 2002. Reaching a peak brightness of V=6, the star dropped to V=16, below its pre-outburst brightness, in a few hundred days. However, it has experienced a steady, flat rise over the last 15 years. It is now at V=13.2, two magnitudes above its pre-outburst brightness. This is another high priority target at RHO, which provides fairly good coverage in V, but this red object is too faint in B for good photometry with the equipment there. Weekly observations in B and V with a larger instrument at a dark site would track any color changes that are occurring as this star continues to brighten.

Fast nova KT Eri is suspected of being a recurrent nova due to its small amplitude and fast outburst. During quiescence, it exhibits variations of approximately 1.5 mag that are possibly periodic in the hundreds of days range. Photometry in B and V band on a ~5-day cadence would help fill in V measurements at RHO, and help determine if there's any actual periodicity in the light variations.