COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
         INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     NUMBER 614

                                      Konkoly Observatory
                                      Budapest
                                      1972 January 20


                IS NGC 404 A VARIABLE OBJECT?


While searching for the minor planet Appolo on a plate obtained on Nov. 20,
1971 with the f/5 - 30 cm Sonnefeld astrographic lens of the Hohe List
observatory, I noticed a variable object in the position

RA_1900=1^h03^m55^s; D_1900=+35deg11.'5.

It appears about 4.^m5 magnitudes fainter than on VEHRENBERG's Atlas Stellarum
chart No. 93, and is close to the plate limit. A second plate, taken on
Dec. 14, 1971 confirms this. The position of this object coincides with that
of the E0/S03 galaxy NGC 404.

On the Palomar Sky Survey print O/406 it clearly appears non-stellar, yet on
the relevant E plate it is outshone by the 6' distant bright star Beta And.

Though it is extremely difficult to compare the brightness of non-stellar
objects with stellar images on Schmidt-plates, on this print it seems to have
comparable magnitude with the not too distant image of BD +33deg187 (HD 7254,
B8, mph ~6.^m5). In Table 1 photographic magnitude estimates of the object on
available charts and plates are given. These are based on a rough magnitude
sequence of surrounding stars, which was derived from stars of SA 45. They are
identified in the Figure and Table 2.

In addition it should be noted that HOFFMEISTER in 1966 thoroughly investigated
the field around Beta And for variable stars, but obviously failed to detect
variability of NGC 404.


E.H. GEYER
Astron. Inst. d. Universitat Bonn
Observatorium Hoher List
5568 DAUN/BRD
1972, Jan.8.

References:

HOFFMEISTER, C.: 1966, Astron. Nachr. 289, 205. [BIBCODE 1967AN....289..205H ]
MARSDEN, B.G.: 1972, IAU Circular No. 2380. [BIBCODE 1972IAUC.2403....1M ]

Table 1: Photographic magnitudes of the variable object

Source            Date             m_ph       Remarks

Franklin Adams    1909. Jan. 19    11.^m0     non-stellar
chart No. 141                                 appearance

Carte d.Ciel      1932  Dec. 29    11.3::
+35deg/No. 8

Palomar SS        1951  Nov. 2/3    6.3::     non-stellar
O/406                                         appearance

Lick Atlas        1954  Sep. 24     9.6

Falkauer Atlas    1961  Sep. 18    10.4:
chart No. 93

Falkauer Atlas    1963  Jan. 24     9.9:
chart No. 65

Atlas Stellarum   1969  Jan. 17     8.6:
chart No. 93

Atlas Stellarum   1969  Aug. 8/9    8.9:
chart No. 65

Hohe List         1971  Nov. 20    12.9
plate A 2631

Hohe List         1971 Dec. 14     13.2       non-stellar
plate A 2632                                  appearance?

Addendum:

The brightness-comparison of non-stellar appearing objects on photographic
plates obtained with different cameras is only possible if two conditions are
fulfilled:

1) Identical photographic material has to be used.

2) The exposure times have to be adopted according the f-ratios of the
   cameras, e.g. t_1/t_2=(N_1/N_2)^2; if N_1, N_2 denote the relevant focal
   ratios,

Since in no case of the above mentioned charts both conditions are matched, a
variability of NGC 404 is irrelevant. The effect is in addition exaggerated if
very short focus cameras are used, so that the angular resolution is
determined by the resolution of the plate.

Table 2: Approximate photographic magnitudes of comparison stars

Star   Identification              m_ph

a      BD +35deg218 = HD 7044(F5)   8,85m
b      BD +34deg199 = HD 6892(F5)   8,90
c      BD +35deg207 = HD 6679(F8)   9,30
d      BD +34deg182 = HD 6542(K5)   9,85
e            -           -         10,95
f            -           -         11,40
g            -           -         11,95
h            -           -         12,60
i            -           -         12,95
j            -           -         13,50


                      [FIGURE 1]