It was discovered on 14 August 2013 by amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki in Japan and confirmed by the Liverpool Telescope on La Palma.

[9] V339 Del is the first nova that has been observed to synthesize the element lithium.

Production of lithium-7 from the decay of beryllium-7, which was observed in the wind blown out of the nova.

This is the first direct evidence of the supply of lithium to the interstellar medium by an astronomical object.

Nucleosynthesis of lithium is important in the study of chemical abundances in the universe.