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Description
We present high-resolution spectroscopy of the variable CaII H & K absorptions in the star Beta Pictoris. 313 spectra were obtained on 53 nights between 1994 November and 1996 December in order to characterize the lines' behaviour and to test the Falling Evaporating Bodies (FEB) scenario. Near-continuous absorption activity was seen, including blue-shifted features, one of which rivalled the strength of that reported in 1997 June by Crawford et al. (1998MNRAS.294L..31C). Redshifted features at ~5-20km/s were present until the end of 1995 and are evocative of a year-long stream of infalling bodies with typically 4-5 objects in the line of sight. At higher velocities, features were shorter lived and generally broader and shallower. These correlations also apply to blue-shifted features. On 1995 June 9 we detected a probably narrow, short-lived feature at a redshift of ~130km/s. The FEB models predict that the strength of the H line may exceed the K line value as a body tracks across the stellar disc, but we have no convincing observation of this, though we did observe some events where the H & K absorptions evolved differently.
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