Spectrographic study of Nova Vulpeculae 1976 (NQ VUL)

Abstract

Nova Vulpeculae was observed from November 11 to December 16, 1976, at the Beijing Observatory with the grating spectrograph attached to the Cassegrain focus of the 60/90 Schmidt telescope.

This paper gives the idectification of the spectral features, the expansion velocities, the photoionization temperatures, the colour temperatures and the Balmer decrement. In wavelength range λλ 3400 – 6700 the principal lines are of HI, FeII, NaI, NII, CaII, TiII, [OI], [NII] atoms or ions. The majority of lines are of P Cyg type. The expansion velocities as derived from measurements of the absorption spectra amount to about 500 – 2200 km/s. Photoionisation temperatures are higher than the corresponding colour temperatures. They increased as the nova became fainter.