COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
        INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                    Number 1331

                                   Konkoly Observatory
                                   Budapest
                                   1977 August 22




    A BRIGHT NOVA IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE ANDROMEDA
                   NEBULA




   In AJ 78, 375-376, 1973, van den Bergh, Herbst and Pritchet
published a list of variable objects near M 31. Among them is
variable "m" (alpha=0h29m28s; delta=+41d41' ; 1950) which the authors
saw only on two plates taken on August 26, 1971. Romano (AJ 82,
319-321, 1977) examined this object on plates of the Asiago 
Observatory. On this series of plates the star was always below
the plate limit (>19.5m), except in the same period of time when
van den Bergh et al. observed the variable near the maximum at
about 12.8m. I examined 295 plates of the Sonneberg field nu And
between J.D. 244 0802.....1988 (plate limit ~ 18.0m). Object "m"
is visible only on 15 plates between J.D. 244 1192.....1217; on
all the other plates it is beyond the plate limit. In Figure 1
the light curve is shown. The value 14.9m at J.D. 1209, given by
Romano, seems to be too bright. I observed 15.85m at J.D. 1208
(3 plates) and 16.25m at J.D. 1210 (2 plates).

                        [FIGURE 1]

This star is clearly a fast nova. It cannot be a supernova 
because no galaxy is seen near the star. It is also not a long-
period U Geminorum star of the UV Persei type as suggested by
Romano because
   1. the amplitude of variation is higher than 8 mag. (it is
very doubtful that the star is faintly visible on the Palomar
Sky Survey as Romano believes. I rather think this impression
belongs to another object)
   2. the decline of brightness after maximum is too fast
   3. no further outbursts are observed.
This object is probably a very bright nova in the halo of M 31.
Similar objects - but not as bright - I observed on Tautenburg
plates (see AN 294, 255, 1973 and Mitt. veranderl.Sterne 5,
177-195, 1971).
In order to get a better light curve observers are requested to
look at their plates and to place their observations at my 
disposal. On Sonneberg Schmidt plates taken by Gotz I measured a
sequence of comparison stars (see Figure 2). The magnitudes are
in the system of Arp (AJ 61. 15, 1956).

                        [FIGURE 2]

       B       V
a     12.5m   12.2m
b     13.0    13.2
c     14.1    14.6
d     15.7    15.5
e     15.9    15.6
f     16.7    16.4:
g     17.7:     -


                                L. MEINUNGER
                             Central Institute for Astrophysics 
                             of Academy of Sciences 
                             of GDR, Observatory
                             Sonneberg, GDR