COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
         INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                     Number 2316

                                    Konkoly Observatory
                                    Budapest
                                    20 April 1983

                                    HU ISSN 0374 - 0676



                       NOVA MUSCAE 1983


  Two pre-discovery photos of Nova Muscae 1983 have been received from
K.M. Harrison, Director, Astrophotographic Section, Astronomical Society of
Victoria (Australia). Both were taken on Ektachrome 400 film, hypersensitised 
in 8% hydrogen at 25deg for 24 hours. They were taken during a field trip
to Rochester, Northern Victoria. Details are:
No. 1. 15 January, 1983, 14h20m U.T. Exposure 15 minutes with Olympus lens
50 mm at f2.8 fitted with minus U.V. filter, and mounted on a Celestron 8.
Taken by E. Gainsford.
No. 2. 15 January, 1983, 15h05m U.T. Exposure 10 minutes with Olympus 50 mm
lens at f2.8 mounted on a 30 cm reflector. Taken by S. Pattie.
  Slides from these photos have been examined by P.M. Kilmartin and A.C.
Gilmore, Mount John University Observatory, Lake Tekapo, N.Z. Comparison was
made with CPD -65d1708 and CPD -67d1858 for which spectra, colour index and
SP_v magnitudes are respectively: K5; 2.06; 7.88 and Ma; 1.77;7.59(1). The 
extreme redness of the nova and the absence of stars with similar colour index
made estimates of the magnitude of the nova difficult. Kilmartin and Gilmore
place the magnitude as between 7.6 and 7.9 on both photos.



                           FRANK M. BATESON
                           Director,
                           Variable Star Section, R.A.S.N.Z.
                           P.O. Box 3093, Greerton,
                           Tauranga, N.Z.



Reference:

(1) 1966. Annals Cape Obs. XXI. Cape Photographic Catalogue for 1950.
    Zones -64d to -80d.