Light and color curves of six field RR Lyrae variable stars

We present light curves in the B, V, and I passbands for six field RR Lyrae stars. We derive the stars' intensity-mean magnitudes, light amplitudes, and colors at minimum light. We compare the latter with measurements from other variables and discuss the use of (V-I) color at minimum light as a tool for measuring interstellar reddening. From 15 stars, we find the mean dereddened RR Lyrae color at minimum light to be (V-I)₀ = 0.57 mag. The rms scatter of 0.025 mag indicates the precision of this value over a wide range of metallicities and pulsation periods.