[IAUC] CBET 766: 20061201 : SUPERNOVAE 2006qq AND 2006qr

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 766
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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SUPERNOVAE 2006qq AND 2006qr
     Further to IAUC 8779, R. R. Prasad and W. Li report the LOSS discovery
of two apparent supernovae on unfiltered KAIT images:

SN       2006 UT       R.A.  (2000.0)  Decl.    Mag.     Offset
2006qq   Nov. 30.37   5 19 50.43  -20 58 06.4   17.0    7".0 E, 4".2 S
2006qr   Nov. 30.50   8 38 01.15  - 9 49 06.1   17.9    2".1 W, 5".5 N

Additional KAIT magnitudes for 2006qq in ESO 553-G36:  Oct. 27.40 UT,
[19.0; Dec. 1.38, 16.9.  Additional magnitudes for 2006qr in MCG -02-22-23:
Nov. 16.52, [19.0; Dec. 1.49, 17.9.  G. Folatelli, on behalf of the
Carnegie Supernova Project, also confirmed both supernovae on multiple
images taken with the Las Campanas Observatory 1-m Swope telescope around
Dec. 1.3.
     J. M. Silverman, D. Wong, A. V. Filippenko, and R. Chornock,
University of California, Berkeley, report that inspection of CCD
spectra (range 330-1050 nm), obtained on Dec. 1 UT with the Shane 3-m
telescope (+ Kast) at Lick Observatory, shows that both 2006qq and 2006qr
are type-II supernovae:  "SN 2006qq exhibits strong, very narrow (FWHM
about 900 km/s) H-alpha emission on a relatively featureless continuum,
and the other members of the hydrogen Balmer series are weak or absent
(though the spectrum is noisy there).  SN 2006qq thus resembles the
type-IIn supernova 2002kg (cf. IAUC 8051) and its brethren.  We have
previously argued that they may be superoutbursts of luminous variable
stars (e.g., Filippenko et al. 1995, A.J. 110, 2261; Van Dyk et al. 2000,
PASP 112, 1532).  However, SN 2006qq is quite luminous (absolute magnitude
M_V = -18.4 if H_o = 73 km/s/Mpc; the recession velocity of the host
galaxy is 8708 km/s, according to NED), unlike most such superoutbursts,
so it might indeed be a genuine supernova.  The H-alpha profile of 2006qr
is dominated by broad (FWHM about 12000 km/s) emission; the absorption
component is weak."


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                         (C) Copyright 2006 CBAT
2006 December 1                  (CBET 766)               Daniel W. E. Green