2002MNRAS.332L..35E

It has been claimed that CK Vul (the remnant of Nova Vul 1670) may be the oldest recovered `old nova' and as such provides evidence in support of the hibernation scenario for classical nova systems. However this interpretation has been challenged. We present 450- and 850-µm photometry of CK Vul which cast further doubt on its old nova status. It displays a large far infrared-submillimetre flux excess, inconsistent with the properties of an old nova. Furthermore, IRAS images show that CK Vul is located in a `cavity' in the infrared emission, a feature often associated with planetary nebulae. It seems more likely that CK Vul - and hence Nova Vul 1670 - is (like V605 Aql and V4334 Sgr) an evolved star in the throes of a final thermal pulse.