COMMISSION 27 OF THE I. A. U.
            INFORMATION BULLETIN ON VARIABLE STARS
                         Number 3362

                                               Konkoly Observatory
                                               Budapest
                                               1 August 1989
                                               HU ISSN 0374 - 0676


              V 404 Cyg - A FURTHER OUTBURST IN 1956


V 404 Cyg had been known as Nova Cyg 1938 (Wachmann, 1948) until a second
outburst in 1989 (several authors, see IAU Circ. Nos. 4782, 4783, 4786, 4787,
4790, 4793, 4794, 4796 and 4797) showed that it is the optical counterpart of
the X-ray nova GS 2023+338.

1462 Sonneberg plates from 1928 to 1989 have been examined in order to search
for further historical eruptions. As a result the 1938 and 1989 outburst could
be confirmed, and a further outburst in 1956 was found. The dates are as
follows:

         JD           blue mag.
1938   2429193.34       13.7:m
          9194.36       13.5
          9216.28       13.3
1956   2435685.40       14.1::
          5691.41       14.3
          5694.52       14.5:
1989   2447706.43       16.2
              .44       16.3
              .45       16.3
              .47       16.2

There is a slight indication that another eruption might have occurred in 1979
(244 4142.93; 13.4m?).

It cannot be excluded that there were more eruptions during time intervals not
covered by plates (winter months, infavourable weather).


GEROLD A. RICHTER
Sternwarte Sonneberg
Zentralinstitut für Astrophysik
der AdW der DDR

Reference:

Wachmann, A. A., 1948, Erg. Astron. Nachr., 11, No. 5.