COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
             INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                            NUMBER 50

                                         Konkoly Observatory
                                         Budapest
                                         30 March 1964

               SUPERNOVA IN THE URSA MAIOR CLUSTER
                           OF GALAXIES

     In the night of March 13, when comparing two plates of
December 14, 1963 and March 12, 1964 (Zeiss Schmidt - telescope
60/90/180 cm at our mountain station), I found a supernova about 96"
SE from the nucleus of the anonymous spiral galaxy at RA=11h52m.2
and D=+53deg32, (1855). Cloudy weather prevented me from taking the
control plate this night. A plate on March 15 confirmed the object, and
on March 16 the finding was communicated to Copenhagen and to the
centres of the supernova search program by telegrams or telephone.
The accompanying chart shows the position of the supernova and the
comparison sequence, for which provisional magnitudes have been
determined by transfer of the NPS on a plate obtained by B. Balazs on
March 18, and measured by me with the Becker iris-photometer.


                    [FIGURE 1]


  a = 10m.97; b = 13m.35; c = 14m.04; d = 14m.26; e = 15m.59
  f = 16m.05; g = 16m.18; h = 16m.42; i = 17m.36; j = 17m.43

Using this sequence I obtained the following provisional magnitudes for
the supernova:

Dec.    14/15, 1963           J.D.   2438377.620   >19m.3
March   12/13, 1964                      467.446     13.21
  "     15/16,                           470.642     13.52
  "     16/17                            471.450     13.47
  "     18/19                            473.568     13.40

                                              M. LOVAS
                                        Konkoly Observatory
                                              Budapest

                          [ETABLE 1]



            OBJECTIVE PRISM SPECTRUM OF THE SUPERNOVA

      On March 18/19 I have obtained an unwidened spectrum of the
supernova with the aid of the 5deg objective prism, of UBK7 glass,
attached to the 60/90/180 cm Schmidt-telescope. Kodak OaO plate
was used, with an exposure time of 40 minutes. In the figure a micro-
photometer record of the spectrum is shown; the wavelengths are only
approximate. The spectrum is typical for a supernova of Type I, a few
weeks after maximum light.

                        [FIGURE 2]


                                              B. BALAZS
                                         Konkoly Observatory
                                              Budapest

                          [ETABLE 2]


      Prof. B. V. KUKARKIN, to whom the discovery was communicated 
in the evening of March 16 by telephone, writes in a letter of
March 23:
      On plates taken at Abastumani Observatory the supernova
was invisible on February 12 (limiting magnitude about 16), it was
already 14m.0 on February 15 and 13m.6 on February 16.
      The brightness of the supernova was estimated by Dr. Markarian 
on a plate taken on March 16 U. T. 18h40m at the Burakan Observatory 
as 13m.3.
                                                EDITOR



                        [From IBVS No. 51.]
Correction to No. 50: The magnitudes of the comparison stars e - j for
the Supernova should be read as follows; e=16m.05, f=17m.43. (The arrow
for star f was drawn erroneously. It should point to the next star SW of
the labelled one), g=17m.36, h=16m.18, i=16m.42, j=15m.59.