V1974 Cygni or Nova Cygni 1992 was a relatively bright nova

Nova

A nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner...

 in the constellation

Constellation

In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....

 Cygnus

Cygnus (constellation)

Cygnus is a northern constellation lying on the plane of the Milky Way. Its name is the Latinized Hellenic word for swan. One of the most recognizable constellations of the northern summer and autumn, it features a prominent asterism known as the Northern Cross...

.

It was discovered on February 19, 1992 by Peter Collins. At that time it was magnitude 6, the maximum magnitude reached was 4.4. The hydrogen burning on the white dwarf

White dwarf

A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a small star composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. They are very dense; a white dwarf's mass is comparable to that of the Sun and its volume is comparable to that of the Earth. Its faint luminosity comes from the emission of stored...

 ended two years later, in 1994. This nova was a neon nova. It is the first nova observed from onset to completion, and can be calculated to be 10,430 light years away from Earth.

External links

• http://www.tsm.toyama.toyama.jp/curators/aroom/var/nova/1990.htm
• http://www.aavso.org/vstar/vsots/v1974cyg.shtml