[IAUC] CBET 695: 20061026 : SUPERNOVA 2006gy IN NGC 1260

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 695
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
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SUPERNOVA 2006gy IN NGC 1260
     R. J. Foley, W. Li, M. Moore, D. S. Wong, D. Pooley, and A. V.
Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley, report that inspection of
CCD spectra (range 330-1040 nm), obtained on Oct. 24 UT with the Lick 3-m
telescope (+ Kast), shows that SN 2006gy (IAUC 8754) is most likely a
supernova of type IIn and not an active galactic nucleus (as reported by
Prieto et al. on CBET 648).  KAIT images of the object show that it is 1"
from the nucleus of the galaxy, corresponding to a projected distance of
400 pc.  Furthermore, the absence of high-excitation narrow emission lines
in the spectrum casts doubt on the AGN classification.  The high luminosity
(absolute V magnitude, M_V = -22, after correcting for 1.5 mag of
extinction), and the long rise time of 55 days to maximum brightness, may
indicate a new phenomenon.  However, there are a few other known type-IIn
supernovae with unusually high luminosities and slow light curves.


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                         (C) Copyright 2006 CBAT
2006 October 26                  (CBET 695)               Daniel W. E. Green