V407 Cyg classification as ZAND while it hosted a classical nova in 2010

[kirxkirx]

The nova list has V407 Cyg classified as ZAND. However, the system showed a classical nova eruption in 2010 (becoming the first gamma-ray detected nova https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010Sci...329..817A/abstract ). The nova-host system is indeed a symbiotic binary containing a Mira red giant donor and the white dwarf primary. However, the 2010 eruption was fast, typical for a classical rather than symbiotic (ZAND) novae. The 2010 event was a classical nova eruption in a symbiotic binary system (the terminology is, admittedly, confusing).

The current version of GCVS lists the classification as "M+NB:" http://www.sai.msu.su/gcvs/cgi-bin/search2.cgi?search=V407+Cyg
It is unknown what was the nature of the 1936 outburst: was it a ZAND outburst or just a maximum of the Mira.
The VSX classifies V407 Cyg as NR+ZAND+M https://www.aavso.org/vsx/index.php?view=detail.top&oid=11327
The "R" = "recurrent" seems unjustified to me, as there is only one confirmed nova eruption in this system - the one in 2010.

I suggest to add "NB:" to classification of V407 Cyg to indicate that it is actually a confirmed classical nova rather than a ZAND symbiotic nova, so it shows up as one after screening the list for confirmed novae. Maybe ZAND can be kept as a secondary classification as the nature of the 1936 event is uncertain.

[Bill-Gray]

Hi Kirill - thanks for the suggestions on this. As you may know, I am working well outside my area of expertise here, so the help is very useful to me.

From your description, it sounds as if "NB:/ZAND" would be a good way to go. Annoyingly, the column field width is one byte too short for that. I dislike ignoring bits of information just to pack everything into the field, but will probably have to do that. Extending the field would break a lot of code that currently processes that list.

I'd think we could classify it as "NB:", and then change galnovae.err to remove this comment :

V407 Cyg re-erupted 2010 Mar 10.

to say, instead (borrowing from your comment),

V407 is a symbiotic binary (Mira red giant donating to a white
dwarf primary).  It had a classical nova eruption on 2010 Mar 10.  See
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010Sci...329..817A/abstract 

Does that sound right to you?