The DIRECT Project aims to obtain direct distances to two Local Group galaxies , M31 and M33 , which occupy a crucial position near the base of the cosmological distance ladder .
The first step is to search for detached eclipsing binaries ( DEBs ) and Cepheids using 1 m class telescopes to select good candidates , which will be followed up spectroscopically on 6.5-10 m class telescopes .
In this ninth paper we present a catalog of variable stars discovered with image subtraction in field M31Y [ \alpha = 10. \arcdeg 97 , \delta = 41. \arcdeg 69 , { J 2000.0 } ] .
The data were obtained with the FLWO 1.2 m telescope on 25 nights , over a period of 6 months .
In our search covering 22 \arcmin \times 22 \arcmin we discovered 41 eclipsing binaries , 126 Cepheids , and 97 other periodic or nonperiodic variables , including a LBV candidate , a nova and a galactic CV .
The catalog of variables , as well as their photometry and finding charts , is available electronically via anonymous ftp and the World Wide Web .
The complete set of the CCD frames is available upon request .