Optical light curves of H 1145-619 showing different optical behaviour in each period. From top to bottom, panel a: V-band light curve is represented. Light blue points come from the ESO Long-Term Photometric Variable Project catalogues (Sterken et al. 1995), green points are from Hipparcos (Perryman et al. 1997). Panel b: I-band data from ASAS-2 are represented; the optical outbursts are indicated in green and observations affected by superorbital variations in brown; see text. Panel c: V-band data from ASAS-3 (orange points) and from INTEGRAL/OMC data (red points) are shown. Panel d: INTEGRAL/OMC data are shown. Black solid lines in the second and third plots indicate the sinusoidal fit to the superorbital variations. The periastron passages were calculated using the ephemeris P_orb = 186.68 d; T₀ = MJD 48 871.6 (Wilson-Hodge 1999) and are indicated with grey dashed lines (they are indicated in the subsequent light curves in the paper).