[IAUC] CBET 1629: 20081222 : SUPERNOVA 2008ik

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 1629
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS en CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
CBAT en CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html


SUPERNOVA 2008ik
     G. Pignata, J. Maza, M. Hamuy, R. Antezana, L. Gonzalez, P. Gonzalez, P.
Lopez, S. Silva, G. Folatelli, D. Iturra, R. Cartier, and F. Forster,
Universidad de Chile; B. Conuel, Wesleyan University; and D. Reichart, K.
Ivarsen, A. Crain, D. Foster, M. Nysewander, and A. LaCluyze, University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, on behalf of the CHASE project, report the
discovery of an apparent supernova (mag approximately 17.6 +/- 0.4) on an
R-band image taken on Dec. 17.14 UT with the 0.41-m 'PROMPT 4' telescope
located at Cerro Tololo.  The new object, which is also present at mag
approximately 17.5 +/- 0.4 on images taken on Dec. 19.09 and 20.06, is
located at R.A. = 3h36m09s.54 +/- 0".1, Decl. = -35o13'00".7 +/- 0".1
(equinox 2000), which is about 2".0 west and 1".3 north of the center of the
apparent host galaxy.  Nothing is visible at this position on archival
images taken on Nov. 18.10 and 25.11 (limiting mag 18.0).
     M. Stritzinger, P. Lira, and G. Pignata, on behalf of the Carnegie
Supernova Project, report that a spectrum (range 380-920 nm) of 2008ik,
obtained on Dec. 19.2 UT with the du Pont telecope (+ WFCCD) at Las Campanas
Observatory, shows it to be a type-Ic supernova around maximum light.
Comparison with a library of supernovae spectra via the "Supernova
Identification" program (Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) reveals
that 2008ik is similar to supernova 2004aw (Taubenberger et al. 2006, MNRAS
371, 1459) at one day past maximum.  Adopting a host-galaxy recession velocity
of 19390 km/s (Dringkwater et al. 2000, A.Ap. 355, 900), the Ca II triplet
(rest 866.2 nm) is measured to be blue-shifted by roughly 13000 km/s.


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                         (C) Copyright 2008 CBAT
2008 December 22                 (CBET 1629)              Daniel W. E. Green