Activity in late-type stars. VI. Optical photometry and UV spectroscopy of the active dMe star, FK Aquarii in late 1983.

Abstract

Optical photometry and UV spectroscopy are reported for the flare/BY Dra star FK Aqr from 1983. These data are used to derive the rate of optical energy release in U-band flaring and compare it to four previous epochs. No conclusive evidence of any variation in this rate over an 8-yr interval has been found. No measurable BY Dra variations were present, but a comparison with the mean magnitude in 1979 suggests that spots were present in 1983, but were uniformly distributed in longitude. A comparison of transition-region line fluxes with those recorded in 1979 does not indicate any large changes, but the chromospheric Mg II line flux is smaller by about 25 percent.