Time variations of stellar water masers

The 22-GHz H2O spectra of the stars RS Vir, RT Vir, R Aql, W Hya, U Her, S Cr B, Rx Boo, R Crt and VY CMa have been observed at intervals during the period 1974 September -1977 May. Optical and infrared measurements have also been made. New components have been observed in the H2O spectra of most of the stars, and the flux density of W Hya reached 2000 Jy near Jd 2442700. The intensities of the three main groups of components in VY CMa varied in phase consistent with a central pump source. In several stars the intensities were very different from those found by earlier observers, showing that stellar H2O masers are often not stable for more than a few cycles of the stellar luminosity. For part of the time the H2O and infrared intensities of R Aql and RS Vir were anticorrelated. (author)