COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
       INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                    NUMBER 648

                                        Konkoly Observatory
                                        Budapest
                                        1972 March 25


      NOTE ON THE GALAXY M51 AND THE GALAXY NGC 404 (ALSO M33)


A propos of the paper "Is NGC 404 a Variable Object?" in No 614 of this Journal
I give my observation on some photographic plates of the Harvard College
Observatory Collection picking at random but about the same time in general as
it was given in the abovementioned number. All of them show that the
variability if any of the nebula 404 was spurious and I must add that the
appearance of it was always elliptical sometimes just very little but never
stellar so that using a "witness" terminology all changes in appearance of
brightness of the Nebula NGC 404 should be "stricken out". In this connection
(very superficial) one may profit astronomically if one investigates the
stars on or (in) the not too distantely situated spiral nebula M33.

On the little sketch of M51 I'm indicating a place where Professor Oort asked
us to look for a star with possibly "exorbitant" characteristics. Most of
the plates I investigated did not go faint enough but two MC plates were
excellent and I could see down to the 18.0m. However, no star I could see at
the place even less any variation of the background thereabout.

                          [FIGURE 1]


Observations of NGC 404

Oc.13.1930  11.9-12.4m     Oc.19.1931  11.8-12.3m     De.11.1934 11.7-12.0m
"  26  "    12.0-12.4      Au. 9.1932  11.7-12.1      De. 4.1940 11.8-12.0
De.10  "    11.8-12.3      Oc.19. "    11.9-12.1      Oc.23.1951 11.7-12.2
Au.15.1931  11.7-12.3      Oc.25.1932  11.7-12.1      Au. 2.1962 11.8-12.2
"  17. "    12.0-12.2      De.22. "    11.7-12.1      Magnitudes are
Oc. 5. "    11.8-12.3      Oc.21.1933  11.9-12.2      approximately on the
"  11. "    11.8-12.3      De. 2. "    11.7-12.2      scale given in the
                                                      No 614.


SERGEI GAPOSHKIN
Harvard College Observatory




               VISUAL OBSERVATIONS OF AD LEONIS


The flare star, AD Leo, was observed visually for a total of 7.5 hours during
the February 1972 international programme by members of the Variable Star
Section of the British Astronomical Association. One suspected flare of 0.2
mag. was observed on Feb. 13, at 20h33m U.T. (by A. Forno), and two further
suspected flares, amplitude 0.2 mag., durations about 20 seconds, on Feb. 14
at 21h21.7m and 21h24.3m U.T. (by W. Pennell), but the latter were
unconfirmed during simultaneous observations (by J. Isles). Hours of coverage
are given in the Table, where parentheses indicate poor to moderate sky
conditions.

1972                U.T.                      Observers

Feb. 10 (2242-2251), 2252-2341, (2342-2400)   Is, Fo
     11  0000-0016, (2129-2146), 2244-2304    Fo, Pe
     13 (0230-0304), 2004-2132                Is, Fo, Bi
     14  0049-0135, 1942-2056, 2109-2226      Is, Fo, Pe, Is

Total coverage 7h28m over 4 nights.


T. BINGHAM, A. FORNO, J. ISLES, W. PENNELL.