1999A&A...348..184R

The first photoelectric observations of the binary WZ Cygni, are presented, analysed and discussed. They were made with the 48-in Cassegrain reflector at the Kryonerion Station of the National Obervatory of Athens, Greece during 1993 and 1994. The light curves have been analysed using Wood's and W-D programs; the obtained solutions support a contact configuration for the system. The latter, along with the βLyrae type light curve shape of WZ Cyg, suggest that it is a near-contact binary. The times of the observed minimum light show that the orbital period increases. Details for the flashes, detected during our observations, are also given. These flare-like phenomena might be related to a magnetic activity on the secondary cooler component of WZ Cyg, while the observed increasing of the system's orbital period might be due to mass transfer from the less massive star towards its mate.