IUE archive observations of dwarf nova WZ SGE during outburst.

Abstract

Observations from the International Ultraviolet Explorer archive are used to show that during the 1978 outburst of the dwarf nova WZ Sge, its orbital light curve displayed dips, similar to those seen during the outbursts of other high-inclination dwarf novae. These dips are thought to be due to obscuration of the inner regions of the accretion disk by a bulge on the disk edge, in the region where the accretion stream meets the disk edge. The possibility that this bulge is supported by the momentum of the accretion stream is investigated.