Archival HST study of novae. I. The Seyfert galaxy NGC 3627

A V-band nova search was carried out in NGC 3627 with archival Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 data which was obtained in the period between November 1997 and January 1998. A total of four novae candidates were discovered which corresponds to a global nova rate of R = 83.65 ± 7.58 yr−1. Taking into account the K-band luminosity obtained from 2MASS (Jarrett et al., 2003) yielded a luminosity specific nova rate (LSNR) of νK = 9.60 ± 1.64 novae per year per 1010L⊙,K. Excluding one of the candidates which may be a long-period variable leads to a LSNR of νK = 7.20 ± 1.23 novae per year per 1010L⊙,K. These values are higher than other known nova rates for external galaxies except the Magellanic Clouds.

► We examine the nova rate in the NGC 3627.
► This is the first attempt to determine the nova rate in this system.
► Four novae is found.
► The nova rate of the NGC 3627 seems to be high compared to other extragalactic systems examined.