COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
           INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                         NUMBER 18.


                                    Konkoly Observatory
                                    Budapest
                                    30 December 1962


                      NOVA OR SUPERNOVA


      A very interesting star was discovered recently by V. Satyvaldiev 
on old sky-patrol plates of the Astrophysical Institute of the Tadjik
Academy of Sciences in Dushanbe.

      The star' s position is: RA = 16h51m54s, Decl. = + 77deg 12.3'
(1900.0) l^II = 109deg.6, b^II = + 33deg.2. Before September 8, 1956 the star
was invisible (plate limit 12m5). On September 24, 1956 the star had
a magnitude about 6m and in September 1957 its brightness was about
11m.5. The star became later invisible again (plate limit 12m.5)

      The star was estimated by Y. N. Efremov on a plate of the
Sternberg Institute taken on May 22, 1957; its magnitude was about 10m.
The star cannot be seen on the plate taken by Y. N. Efremov and myself
on December 14, 1962 (plate limit 16m) and it is also invisible on the
Palomar Sky Atlas Chart No. 1433-0 of May 19, 1955 (limiting magnitude
21m.2).

      The photometric behaviour of this star is very similar to those
of Type I supernovae. Considering the nature of this interesting star
the following four assumptions can be made.

      1./ The star may be a slow galactic nova with absolute 
magnitude M = -6. The very large amplitude (15m) and the great distance
from the galactic plane (about 1 - 2 kps) are in disaccordance with this
assumption.

      2 / The star may be an unusual faint galactic supernova with
M = -12. The great distance from the galactic centre (about 35 - 45 kps)
contradicts to this assumption.

      3./ The star may be a normal Type I supernova with M = -18.
In this case its distance would be about 200-300 kps. But no bright
galaxies can be seen in the star's neighborhood. Hence the star may
be an intergalactic supernova.

      4./ The star may be a normal Type I supernova with M = 0 18
in a very faint galaxy similar to the Sculptor- or Draco-systems. If
the distance modulus m-M is about 24m, the brightest stars in the
system would not be visible on the Palomar Charts.

      The accompanying map shows the star's surroundings.


                      [FIGURE 1]


Moscow, December 18, 1962


                                          B. V. KUKARKIN
                                      Sternberg Astronomical
                                           Institute