[IAUC] CBET 3363: 20121230 : SUPERNOVA 2012if IN PGC 34479 = PSN J11173029+5124074

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 3363
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
CBAT Director:  Daniel W. E. Green; Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
 20 Oxford St.; Cambridge, MA  02138; U.S.A.
e-mail:  cbatiau en eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat en iau.org)
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


SUPERNOVA 2012if IN PGC 34479 = PSN J11173029+5124074
     A. Dimai, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, on behalf of Italian Supernovae
Search Project (ISSP), reports the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag
about 18.3) on two unfiltered CCD images (limiting mag about 18.8) taken with
a 0.28-m telescope at the Col Drusci Observatory on Dec. 20.017 UT.  The new
object is located at R.A. = 11h17m30s.29, Decl. +51d24'07".4 (equinox 2000.0),
which is 4" east and 4" south of the nucleus of the galaxy PGC 34479.  Nothing
is visible at this position on Palomar Sky Survey infrared, red, and blue
plates.  The discovery image is posted at the following website URL:
http://www.cortinastelle.it/UGC06309_20121220_pgc34479.jpg.  The variable was
designated PSN J11173029+5124074 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's
TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2012if based on the spectroscopic
confirmation reported below.  Additional unfiltered CCD magnitudes for 2012if:
2012 June 16.9, 18.5 (ISSP; via Dimai); Dec. 20.007, 18.2 (Giancarlo Cortini,
Predappio, Italy; 36-cm f/5.5 reflector + SXVR H-9 camera; pre-discovery;
limiting mag about 19.0; communicated by Dimai).

     L. Tomasella, S. Benetti, A. Pastorello, E. Cappellaro, P. Ochner, and M.
Turatto, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Istituto Nazionale di
Astrofisica, report that optical spectroscopy (range 340-820 nm; resolution
1.3 nm), obtained on Dec. 27.02 UT with the Asiago 1.82-m Copernico Telescope
(+ AFOSC), shows that PSN J11173029+5124074 = SN 2012if is a type-Ia supernova.
Adopting for the host galaxy (PGC 34479) the redshift z = 0.033338 (SDSS Data
release 2, 2004; via NED), the best match was found with various type-Ia
supernovae, and in particular with supernova 2003du (Anapuma et al. 2005,
A.Ap. 429, 667) about six weeks after maximum light.  The Asiago
classification spectra are posted at website URL http://graspa.oapd.inaf.it;
classification was made via GELATO (Harutyunyan et al. 2008, A.Ap. 488, 383)
and SNID (Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024).


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 December 30                 (CBET 3363)              Daniel W. E. Green