2022RNAAS...6....9M

Cobalt and nickel abundances are rarely available for normal and Chemically Peculiar A stars because the strongest transitions of Co II and Ni II fall in the mid-UV. The abundances of cobalt and nickel are derived for 78 Vir using a mean mid-ultraviolet spectrum constructed by coadding 10 spectra collected with the Long Wave Prime and Long wavelength Redundant cameras over the 18 yr of the IUE mission. The strong transitions of Co II at 2286.16 Å, 2307.86 Å, 2324.32 Å and 2580.33 Å and that of Ni II et 2287.09 Å are present and more or less affected by blends. The least blended, λ 2286.16 Å, yields a mean overabundance of cobalt of 5 times the solar abundance, the Ni II line at 2287.09 Å yields a 3 times solar overabundance. There is no convincing evidence that these lines varied in the spectra analyzed. The rotational period of 78 Vir estimated from its recent TESS lightcurve is 3.723 ± 0.055 days.