Nova Vulpeculae 1976

G. Klare and B. Wolf, Landessternwarte, Heidelberg-Konigstuhl, report that a spectrogram was obtained in the blue (dispersion 55 A/mm) on Oct. 26.83 UT. An expansion velocity of about -920 km/s was determined from H-beta and H-gamma, which exhibit strong P-Cyg characteristics. Fe II and Ti II emissions were also identified. J. S. Neff and K. Gillies, Department of Physics and Astronomy, State University of Iowa, report that nine observations of flux distribution were obtained in the spectral region 3400-5900 A (resolution 30 A) during Oct. 28.035-28.089 UT; four observations were made of the comparison star 7 Vul. The nova had a very red, smooth, continuous spectrum, the monochromatic magnitude at 6500 A being 7.3. A number of weak emission features were superposed on the continuum, the strongest being H-beta, with a peak flux equal to that of the adjacent continuum. H-beta was somewhat stronger than on Oct. 26.0 UT. J. Mattei, American Association of Variable Star Observers, reports that a photoelectric observation by D. Skilman on Oct. 27.083 UT gave V = 6.59. Other observers have suggested that the nova was unexpectedly bright that same night, although D. Weier remarked that there were considerable short-term fluctuations (by a substantial fraction of a magnitude), both then and on Oct. 28.0-28.1 UT. Magnitude estimates by AAVSO observers on Oct. 29.0 averaged 7.3.