MONITORING OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI .6. THE QUASAR MKN-876

We present the results of a 6 month monitoring campaign of Mkn 876, a low luminosity quasar with M(abs) approximate to -24. High resolution spectroscopy and direct imaging in the Johnson filters B, V, R, I was carried out in the first half of 1990. Line and continuum light curves are presented. Mkn 876 showed a decrease of 17% in the continuum over the whole observing period whereas the line flux of H beta and H alpha stayed constant. This implies, that the radius of the Broad Line Region is larger than 6 light months. Coadded spectra of H beta and H alpha are presented which confirm an extreme asymmetry of the line profiles to the red. With respect to much earlier spectra the line profiles changed considerably.