COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
           INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                          NUMBER 30

   
                                       Konkoly Observatory
                                       Budapest
                                       12 June 1963


                       PROBABLE SUPERNOVA


     On May 23, 1963, when comparing two plates of March 1 and
4, (Astrograph 400/1600 mm), I found a southerly extension of a small
galaxy in Coma. The extension is invisible on Feb. 28/March 1
(7 plates), March 1/2 (5 plates); it is visible on March 2/3 (4 plates),
3/4 (2 plates), and 4/5 (1 plate). Further plates are not available. The
combined brightness is about 16m, the extension being somewhat
fainter than the undisturbed galaxy. On Palomar Sky Chart No. 135 the
galaxy is to be found 11.3 mm east and 25.9 mm north of 5 Comae.


                                                C. HOFFMEISTER
                                            Sonneberg Observatory




                 ON THE SUPERNOVA IN NGC 4178


     A plate of the Virgo-Cluster (center of plate: 20 Vir), taken
on April 22, 1963, with the 40 cm Astrograph (f=160 cm) of Sonneberg
Observatory, was compared at the end of April with another plate
(same center), taken 25 years earlier, on February 21, 1938. On both
plates the galaxy NGC 4178 in near the edge and that of April 22, 1963,
shows a nucleus, formed by two star-like  condensations, whereas
another faint star-like object preceding south is to be seen, which is
missing in 1938.
     A second plate of May 20, 1963, (after receipt of the discovery 
announcement by ZAYTSEVA) confirmed this object, noted in
April, as a Supernova.

     On both plates the Supernova was compared with Selected Area
80 of the Harvard-System, whereby the following magnitudes were
obtained:

     1963 April 22 (J.D. 243 8142. 4)         15m.80 (HR)
     1963 May 20 (J.D. 243 8170.4)            14m.30 (HR)

     This confirms that the Supernova was already rising on April
22, 1963, and might have reached its maximal brightness as early as
towards the end of April.


                        [FIGURE 1]



                                      K. LOCHEL
                                Sonneberg Observatory
                          of the German Academy of Sciences