COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
           INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                         Number 976

                                      Konkoly Observatory
                                      Budapest
                                      1975 March 18

        PRE-MAXIMUM BRIGHTNESS OF NOVA Sgr 1969

   Bateson (1969) announced the discovery of Nova Sgr 1969 (R.A.=
18h28m3; Dec. = -32deg38'). On September 20, 1969 the photoelectric
magnitude and color of the nova became V=11.3 and B-V=-0.061. Candy
(1969) observed that the star does not appear of the Perth Astrographic 
Plates taken in 1902, 1904, 1910 and 1914. These plates
reached the limiting magnitudes between 13 and 14. His recent 
estimate (1969) for the magnitude of the nova yields m=9.7.
   Recently, Knight (1972) used the Nantucket plates to obtain
the light curve of the Nova. Her light curve indicates that by the
end of 1969 the star remained at magnitude of approximately 12. 
Using the Nantucket plates collected between 1957-1968 she found that
the star's brightness remained constant at m~13.
   The purpose of our present note is to provide the information
on the magnitudes of the star in 1965 and 1966. The photographic
material used here are those that have been described by Hidayat and
Radiman (1973). The following presents are the magnitudes:

           1965, August 20   V= 12.78   B= 13.57
           1966, June   17      12.07      14.06
                 Sept.   8      12.92      14.13
                 Sept.  15      12.52      13.65

   The data may indicate little variation of the magnitudes. 
Another evidence for a possible variation in B is obtained from the
spectral plates taken on August 27, 1965. A faint, but distinct,
spectrum on the position of the star appears similar to that 
described by Stephenson and Herr (1963) for Nova Her 1963. Since the
spectral plates record stars with B<12.8, the brightness of the Nova
at the epoch must have been brighter than the plate limit.
   We are grateful to Mr F. Bateson who has kindly sent us his 
preprint of his identification chart for the nova.


                              I. RADIMAN and B. HIDAJAT
                              Bosscha Observatory, Lembang
                              Java, Indonesia.

References:
F. Bateson, 1969, IBVS 389
M.P. Candy, 1969, IBVS 408
B. Hidajat and I. Radiman, 1973, Contr.Bosscha Obs. No. 46
P. Knight, 1972, IBVS 694
C.B. Stephenson and R.B. Herr, 1963, P.A.S.P. 75, 253 [BIBCODE 1963PASP...75..253S ]