An attempt has been made to determine the continuous flux distribution separately for the two components of β Lyrae, first from optical spectrophotometric scans, then from ultraviolet (IUE) spectra. Both components have anomalous flux distribution not matching any standard star. For the primary, this is probably due to its Roche lobe filling; the secondary is a disk.
We present some effects of an increasing He abundance in the stellar atmosphere. The run of b-factors with depth for vatious He abundances is given as well as the theoretical equivalent widths of
He I and Balmer lines. The appearance of certain shell lines suggests a strong influence from a circumstellar envelope.