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We present the results of multicolor (UBVJHKLM) photometry (2009-2017) and low-resolution spectroscopy (2016-2017) of the semi-regular variable V1427 Aql=HD 179821, a yellow supergiant with gas-dust envelope. The star displays low-amplitude ({\Delta}V<0.2 mag) semi-periodic brightness variation superimposed on a long-term trend. The light curve shape and timescale change from cycle to cycle. There are temperature variations characteristic for pulsations, and brightness oscillations with no significant change of color are also observed. The UBV data for the 2009-2011 interval are well reproduced by a superposition of two periodic components with P=170 d and P=141 d (or P=217 d - the one year alias of P=141 d). The variation became less regular after 2011, the timescale increased and exceeded 250 days. In 2009-2016 the annual average brightness monotonically increased in V, J, K, whereas it decreased in U and B. The annual average U-B, B-V, and J-K colors grew, the star was getting redder. The cooling and expanding of the star photosphere along with the increasing of luminosity may explain the long-term trend in brightness and colors. Based on our photometric data we suppose that the photosphere temperature decreased by ~400 K in the 2008-2016 interval, the radius increased by ~24 %, and the luminosity grew by ~19 %. Low-resolution spectra in the {\lambda}4000-9000 {\AA} wavelength range obtained in 2016-2017 indicate significant changes in the spectrum of V1427 Aql as compared with the 1994-2008 interval, i.e. the BaII and near-infrared CaII triplet absorptions have turned stronger while the OI {\lambda}7771-4 triplet blend has weakened that points out the decrease of temperature in the region where the absorptions are formed. The evolutionary stage of the star is discussed. We also compare V1427 Aql with post-AGB stars and yellow hypergiants., Comment: 30 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in Astronomy Letters

We present the results of our $UBV$ and $JHKLM$-photometry for the semiregular pulsating variable V1027~Cyg, a supergiant with an infrared excess, over the period from 1991 to 2015. Our search for a periodicity in the $UBV$ brightness variations has led to several periods from $P=212^{d}$ to $P=320^{d}$ in different time intervals. We have found the period $P=237^{d}$ based on our infrared photometry. The variability amplitude, the light-curve shape, and the magnitude of V1027~Cyg at maximum light change noticeably from cycle to cycle. An ambiguous correlation of the $B-V$ and $U-B$ colors with the brightness has been revealed. The spectral energy distribution for V1027~Cyg from our photometry in the range 0.36 ($U$)-5.0 ($M$) $\mu$m corresponds to spectral types from G8I to K3I at different phases of the pulsation cycle. Low-resolution spectra of V1027 Cyg in the range $\lambda$4400--9200 \AA\ were taken during 16 nights over the period 1995--2015. At the 1995 and 2011 photometric minima the star's spectrum exhibited molecular TiO bands whose intensity corresponded to spectral types M0--M1, while the photometric data point to a considerably earlier spectral type. We hypothesize that the TiO bands are formed in the upper layers of the extended stellar atmosphere. We have measured the equivalent widths of the strongest absorption lines, in particular, the infrared Ca~II triplet in the spectrum of V1027~Cyg. The calcium triplet (Ca T) with $W_{\lambda}(\mathrm{Ca~T})=20.3\pm1.8$ \AA\ as a luminosity indicator for supergiants places V1027 Cyg in the region of the brightest G--K supergiants. V1027 Cyg has been identified with the infrared source IRAS~20004+2955 and is currently believed to be a candidate for post-AGB stars. The evolutionary status of the star and its difference from other post-AGB objects are discussed., Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in Pis'ma Astron. Zh. (Astronomy Letters)

The data of photometric measurements of the long-period eclipsing variable epsilon Aur in the two main minima 1982 and 2010 in the spectral range of 1--5 microns are presented. Noted is the similarity of light curves in eclipse, its asymmetry, and availability of the short interval increased brightness. We are detecting the phase changing of the indicator color J-M and the effect of short-time changing of the color to be more blue at the moments during the beginning and end of the eclipse., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted in the journal Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions

We investigate the correlation between infrared (JHKL) and optical (B) fluxes of the variable nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 using partially published data for the last 6 years (2008-2013.). Here we are using the same data as in Oknyansky et al. (2014), but include also optical (B) data from Guo et al. We find that the lag of flux in all the infrared bands is the same, 40 +- 6 days, to within the measurement accuracy. Variability in the J and K bands is not quite simultaneous, perhaps due to the differing contributions of the accretion disk in these bands. The lag found for the K band compared with the B band is not significantly different from earlier values obtained for the period 2000-2007. However, finding approximately the same lags in all IR bands for 2008-2013 differs from previous results at earlier epochs when the lag increased with increasing wavelength. Examples of almost the same lag in different IR bands are known for some other active nuclei. In the case of NGC 4151 it appears that the relative lags between the IR bands may be different in different years. The available data, unfortunately, do not allow us to investigate a possible change in the lags during the test interval. We discuss our results in the framework of the standard model where the variable infrared radiation is mainly due to thermal re-emission from the part of the dusty torus closest to the central source. There is also a contribution of some IR emission from the accretion disk, and this contribution increases with decreasing wavelength. Some cosmological applications of obtained results are discussed., Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, 14-th Odessa International Astronomical Gamow Conference-School Astronomy and beyond: Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation, Cosmomicrophysics, Radio-astronomy and Astrobiology

Recent results strongly challenge the canonical picture of massive star winds: various evidence indicates that currently accepted mass-loss rates, Mdot, may need to be revised downwards significantly. This is because the most commonly used mass-loss diagnostics are affected by ``clumping'' (small-scale density inhomogeneities), influencing our interpretation of observed spectra and fluxes. Such downward revisions would have dramatic consequences for the evolution of, and feedback from, massive stars, and thus robust determinations of the clumping properties and mass-loss rates are urgently needed. Here, we present a first attempt to constrain the radial stratification of the so-called clumping factor. To this end, we have analyzed a sample of 19 Galactic O-type supergiants/giants, by combining data for Halpha, IR, mm and radio fluxes, and using appropriate analysis methods. Clumping has been included into our analysis in the ``conventional'' way, by assuming the inter-clump matter to be void. Because (almost) all our diagnostics depends on the square of density, we cannot derive absolute clumping factors, but only factors normalized to a certain minimum. This minimum was usually found to be located in the outermost, radio-emitting region, i.e., the radio mass-loss rates are the lowest ones, compared to Mdot derived from Halpha and the IR. The radio rates agree well with those predicted by theory, but are only upper limits, due to unknown clumping in the outer wind. Our most important result concerns a (physical) difference between denser and thinner winds: for denser winds, the innermost region is more strongly clumped than the outermost one (with a normalized clumping factor of 4.1+/-1.4), whereas thinner winds have similar clumping properties in the inner and outer regions., Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures, accepted by A&A

We combine all published NIR and optical photometrical observations of NGC 4151 as well as our new unpublished yet data which can be used for determination of time delays between optical and NIR variations. Before we have found change of time delay value for variations in K and L filters for different states of the luminosity. Here we are considering new data for deep minimum after the very high state of the nucleus. We conclude that dust recovering time after the high state is for any case more then several years., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, AGN conference Nauchny, Ukraine, June 2004