[IAUC] CBET 2665: 20110303 : SUPERNOVA 2011ak IN UGC 6997 = PSN J12004946+3152497

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                                                  Electronic Telegram No. 2665
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 2011ak IN UGC 6997 = PSN J12004946+3152497
     Lucija Begonja and Denis Vida, on behalf of the "La Sagra Sky Survey"
(LSSS) Supernova Search Team (which also includes Filip Novoselnik, Ivica
Skokic, David Gostinski, Robert Gregic, Salvador Sanchez, Jaime Nomen, Reiner
Stoss, Bill Yeung, Juan Rodriguez, and Miguel Hurtado) report the discovery of
an apparent supernova (magnitude 17.2) on three unfiltered CCD images
(limiting mag about 20.0) taken on Feb. 9.019, 9.031, and 9.043 UT with a
0.45-m telescope.  The new object is located at R.A. = 12h00m49s.46, Decl. =
+31d52'49".7 (equinox 2000.0), which is 16".2 west and 8".1 north of the
nucleus of the presumed host galaxy, UGC 6997 (whose position end figures are
50s.54, 41".6).  The presumed supernova was originally designated PSN
J12005054+3152416 when first posted on the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage
because Begonja and Vida reported the host-galaxy-core coordinates as the
supernova position; they later corrected the position following a discrepancy
in J. Brimacombe's position (see below), and the object's TOCP designation
was changed to PSN J12004946+3152497.  Based on the spectroscopy reported
below, the supernova is here designated SN 2011ak.  Additional approximate
magnitudes for 2011ak (from unfiltered images unless otherwise noted):
1991 Apr. 5.265, [22 (Digitized Sky Survey, red plate; via Begonja and Vida);
2010 Dec. 15.149, [20 (LSSS); 16.179, [20 (LSSS); 2011 Feb. 16.28, 17.0 +/-
0.6 (J. Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia; remotely using a robotic 0.51-m RCOS
telescope + SBIG STL11K CCD camera at New Mexico Skies Observatory near
Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.; position end figures 49s.44, 48".9); 27.065, 17.8 (LSSS);
28.122, 18.0 (LSSS).  The LSSS image from Feb. 9 has been posted (with the
red Digitized Sky Survey image on the right) at the following website URL:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/8076/ugc06997.png.  Brimacombe's image is
posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/5453406134/.

     G. H. Marion, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on behalf
of the CfA Supernova Group, reports that a spectrogram (range 340-740 nm) of
SN 2011ak was obtained on Mar. 2 UT by P. Berlind with the F. L. Whipple
Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST).  Cross-correlation with a library of
supernova spectra using the "Supernova Identification" code (SNID; Blondin and
Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) shows that SN 2011ak is a type-IIP supernova about
one week past maximum.


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

                         (C) Copyright 2011 CBAT
2011 March 3                     (CBET 2665)              Daniel W. E. Green