Profile of He I lambda5876 in the P-Cygni-type of star HD 152408

The blue-shifted absorption component of the P-Cygni profile at He I lambda 5876 in HD 152408 (O8: Iafpe) has been found to be extremely broad, extending -1000 km sec-1 from the emission maximum. This unusual profile is probably due to overpopulation of the lower level of lambda 5876, which permits it to form throughout a greater extent of the expanding atmosphere than most other lines. This observation confirms Hutchings' identification of very large velocities in the blue-violet spectrum of HD 152408, and in particular his interpretation of a similar feature at He I lambda 3889, which is metastable. The lambda 5876 profile in HD 152408 is compared to those in the similar but less extreme P-Cygni star HD 151804 (O8 Iaf), and in the Wolf-Rayet star HD 151932 (WN7-A). The similarity between the absorption components in HD 152408 and the WN star is striking