COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
        INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     NUMBER 293

                                   Konkoly Observatory
                                   Budapest
                                   1968 August 19


             S 10376=NOVA HERCULIS 1968


This fast or even very fast nova was discovered near the star beta Her in
comparing one pair of plates. As a sufficient amount of plates was available
the very rapid increase of brightness on June 30, 1968, as well as essential
parts of the decline could be observed. (At the end of July 1968 the object
was again invisible.)

The following observations were obtained as plates ZU2 without filter at the
astrograph 400/1600 mm:

J.D.       Mag.       J.D.    Mag.      J.D.     Mag.
24400                24400             24400
33.50     [17^m      39.50    12.^m4   67.41   15.^m0
37.45     [17        40.46    12.4     67.46    15.0
37.50     [17        59.40    14.9     67.50    14.9
38.44      13.0 x    60.42    14.9     68.42    16.0
38.45      12.5      65.39    14.7     68.49    16.0
38.50      12.5      66.41    14.8     68.53    16.0
39.45      12.3      66.46    14.8     69.49   [16.5
39.45      12.4 x    66.50    14.9     69.53   [16.5
39.45      14.0:xx   66.53    14.9

Remarks:

x Sky Patrol plates Zu2 without filter
xx Sky Patrol plates Raman Pan +GG 14


                          [FIGURE 1]

Adopted magnitudes of the comparison stars:

  a 11.^m2   f 14.9
  b 12.3     g 15.0
  c 12.8     h 15.4
  d 14.2     i 16.0
  e 14.4

The nova is invisible on the red and blue plates of the Palomar Sky Atlas.
The amplitude of the light variation is therefore 8 mag. or more.

The approximate position of the object is as follows:

RA (1855)=16^h24.^m6      D (1855)=+21d37'
     l^II=38d                b^II=+41d

From, the high galactic latitude of the object (s. above) we may draw an
important conclusion:

McLaughlin gives for the mean absolute magnitude of a fast nova -8.3, Payne-
Gaposchkin assumes a mean absolute magnitude of all novae of -7.6. If we
take the second value as the right one and if we suppose the apparent magnitude
at maximum light to be 12^m and the interstellar extinction to be about 0.^m5,
we get for the distance modulus M-m=19. The distance of the nova would then be
63 kpc, corresponding to z=42 kpc, which means that the object must be in the
intergalactic space. Even if the absolute magnitude at maximum light would be
far below the mean value of the typical novae, it would still be at a striking
distance z from the galactic plane.


There is furthermore the interesting fact of the very high negative colour
index at J.D. 2440039 (s. table) which is also to be seen from the
extraordinary image of the star on the plates of the astrograph 400/1600 mm.
Perhaps this could be explained by strong emissions in UV.

                          [FIGURE 2]


                                              GEROLD A. RICHTER
German Academy of Sciences
Institut fur Sternphysik
Sternwarte Sonneberg