COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
            INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                           NUMBER 53

                                         Konkoly Observatory
                                         Budapest
                                         27 April 1964


                   SPECTRUM OF NOVA PUPPIS 1963

      Hoffmeister's Nova Puppis 1963 was observed spectroscopically
on 1964 April 14 with low dispersion (430 A/mm at H-gamma) at the
Crossley reflector. The visual magnitude was about 15. The spectrum
in the photographic region is dominated by one very strong, broad
asymmetrical emission band at the position of [O III] {lambda}{lambda}
5007, 4959. There is a continuous spectrum with broad, but weak emission
maxima at the positions of (in decreasing order of strength) [Ne III] 
{lambda} 3868+H8, N III {lambda}{lambda} 4634, 4640+ He II {lambda} 4686,
H-beta, H-gamma, H-delta. The very large value of the ratio [O III] H-beta
is unusual: the measured equivalent widths of
{lambda} 5007/{lambda} 4959/H-beta are 28./9./<= 0,24 (where the intensity
of the [O III] blend has been subdivided in the proportions of 3.0:1).


                                      G. H. HERBIG
                                        K. WILDE
                            Lick Observatory, University of
                                      California
                             Mount Hamilton Calif., U.S.A.




                         RED-YELLOW SPECTRUM
                       OF THE SUPERNOVA IN UMA

      On April 2/3 I have obtained an unwidened spectrum of the
supernova, found on March 12/13 by M. Lovas, using a 5deg objective
prism of UBK7 glass, attached to the 60/90/180 cm Schmidt-telescope
at our mountain station. Kodak OaD plate was used, with an exposure
time of 45 minutes. In the figure a microphotometer record of the
supernova is shown; the wavelenghts are only approximate. The red-
yellow  spectrum shows the absorption at lambda 6190 A, characteristic for
a supernova of Type I. The photographic brightness of the supernova
was at the time of the exposure about 14m.8. Therefore the blue part of
the spectrum was very weak on the plate.


                         [FIGURE 1]



                                         B. BALAZS
                                    Konkoly Observatory
                                          Budapest

                         [ETABLE 1]