COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
        INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                    Number 3110



                                    Konkoly Observatory
                                    Budapest
                                    6 November 1987

                                    HU ISSN 0374-0676



              POSITIONS AND FINDING CHARTS OF
          NOVA HERCULIS 1987 AND NOVA SAGITTARII 1987*




   The Reference Catalogue and Atlas of Galactic Novae (Duerbeck 1987) contains
positions, finding charts and additional information for 277 novae and related
objects complete to December 31, 1986. Positions and finding charts of more
recent novae will be published irregularly in the IBVS. This first supplement
contains positions and finding charts of N Her 1987 and N Sgr 1987.

   Direct plates of the fields of the two objects were taken with the GPO
astrograph of ESO La Silla on 098 emulsion + RG 630 filter. The plates were
measured on the ESO Optronics 3000, using SAO stars as astrometric standards.
Details of the observations and the nova positions are given in Table 1.
Furthermore, the prenova candidates were measured on POSS and ESO/SRC sky atlas
plates. The results are given in Table 2. The magnitudes were estimated using the
image diameter calibrations by King and Raff (1977) and King et al. C1981).
Figs. 1 and 2 are finding charts, prepared from the POSS blue (103a-0 emulsion)
and SRC (IIIa-J emulsion + GG395 filter) sky atlas plates. They cover regions of
4.3' x 4.3'.


   The image of the prenova Sgr 1987 appears double on the magnified photo-
graph. However, only the position of a single image could be measured. The slight
difference between the right ascensions of the nova and the prenova indicates
that the following and brighter component of the suspected close double star
should be identified as the outburst object.

*Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla,
Chile


                               [FIGURE 1]

 Figure 1   Finding chart for Nova Her 1987 ( (C) 1960 National 
 Geographic Society - Palomar Sky Survey. Reproduced by permission of 
 the California Institute of Technology)

                               [FIGURE 2]

 Figure 2   Finding chart for Nova Sgr 1987 ( (C) Royal Observatory
            Edinburgh). On both charts, north is on the top, west to the 
            right


     
           Table I. Nova positions on GPO plates


Object      GPO plate No.    Date        RA (1950)   Decl. (1950)


N Her 1987     11081      87 July 5.20 18h41m26s71    +15 16'13.3"
N Sgr 1987     11087      87 July 8.11 17 56 29.08    -32 16 12.9

         Table II. Prenova positions on sky atlas plates


     Object       Sky atlas plate    magn.      RA (1950)    Decl. (1950)
     N Her 1987     POSS 287 0       18.0p      18 41 26'73  +15 16'13.3"
     N Sgr 1987     SERC 456 J      ~21.5j      17 56 29.21  -32 16 12.6


   Acknowledgement. I thank the California Institute of Technology and the
Royal Observatory Edinburgh for permission to reproduce sky atlas plates.





                          HILMAR W. DUERBECK
                          Astronomisches Institut
                          der Universitat Munster
                          Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10
                          D-44D0 Munster, F.R.G.





References:



Duerbeck, H.W. 1987, A Reference Catalogue and Atlas of Galactic Novae,
   Dordrecht: Reidel (also published in Space Sci. Rev. 45, 1). [BIBCODE 1987QB841.D84...... ]
King, I.R., Raff, M.I. 1977, Publ. astr. Soc. Pacific 89, 120. [BIBCODE 1977PASP...89..120K ]
King, D.R., Birch, C.I., Johnson, C., Taylor, K.N.R. 1981, Publ. astr. Soc.
  Pacific 93, 385. [BIBCODE 1981PASP...93..385K ]