The secondary stars in cataclysmic variables have not yet been properly obtained. This is due to the fact that their spectrum is heavily veiled by a strong blue continuum arising from the accretion disc. However the advent of new digital detectors and high resolution spectrographs now make possible a more complete investigation. We have observed AE Aqr, an 11th magnitude cataclysmic variable, with the UCL echelle spectrograph (UCLES) at the Anglo Australian Telescope.
