X-ray observations of cataclysmic variables

The X-ray observatory EXOSAT spent over 1000 hours observing cataclysmic variables. Some of the major results reviewed here are: soft X-ray light curve changes in AM Her objects, orbital effects in the X-ray light curves of intermediate polars and U Gem, regular behaviour in the inter-outburst X-ray flux of VW Hyi, and X-ray emission from the tenuous remnant of the recent recurrent nova RS Oph. The ability of EXOSAT to make long uninterupted observations at high sensitivity over a broad spectral range and to react quickly to cosmic events has yielded a dataset of a quality that will not be surpassed for many years.Paper presented at the IAU Colloquium No. 93 on Cataclysmic Variables. Recent Multi-Frequency Observations and Theoretical Developments, held at Dr. Remeis-Sternwarte Bamberg, F.R.G., 16–19 June, 1986.