OBSERVATIONS AND ANALYSIS OF THE R AQUARII JET

and Ultraviolet, optical and radio observations of the symbiotic s t a r R Aquarii are discussed i n the l ight of the discovery of a b r i g h t rad io and optical j e t from this s tar. The star is probably a binary w i t h a period of 44 years. The VLA maps of the j e t reveal a protruding structure extending-10 arc sec from the central radio source with a position angle virtually identical t o that of the optical j e t observed a t Lick. We interpret the observations of R Aqr as indica-t i n g the existence of an accretion disk around an unseen companion. The h o t sub-dwarf has effective temperature,(65,000 K. We believe t h a t the Mira primary and the h o t secondary are i n orbit around each other w i t h a high eccentricity. A t periastron the hot subdwarf accretes a t super cri t ical rates and a j e t forms. I t is diff icul t t o understand how an accretion d i s k would have eclipsed the Mira i n 1928-1935 and 1974-1980. We prefer t o interpret the suppression of max