Electronic Telegram No. 3026
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@eps.harvard.edu (alternate cbat@iau.org)
URL http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/index.html
Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


SUPERNOVA 2012af
     Vladimir Lipunov, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, on behalf of the
MASTER Robotic Net team, reports the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag
16.7) on three unfiltered CCD images (limiting mag 19.7) taken with the 40-cm
MASTER II telescope (+ Apogee CCD Alta U16m camera) on Feb. 11.991 UT at the
Kislovodsk observatory (http://observ.pereplet.ru) via the auto-detection
system.  The new object (designated 2012af) is located at R.A. = 15h00m30s.87,
Decl. = +23d55'45".1 (equinox 2000.0 presumed), which is 9".2 east and 0".7
south of the center of the presumed host galaxy (given as PGC 1696336).
Nothing is visible at this position on a MASTER image from Jan. 26.07
(limiting mag 20.0).  The discovery and reference images are posted at website
URL http://master.sai.msu.ru/static/OT/150030.87235545.1.png.

     G. H. Marion, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on
behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, report that a spectrum (range 340-740 nm)
of 2012af was obtained on Feb. 19 UT by J. Irwin 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 2012af is a type-Ia supernova soon
after maximum light.  A good fit is found to the template of the 1991T-like
supernova 2005eq at two days post maximum.  The velocity of the Si II 635.5-nm
absorption feature is 10100 km/s, using an estimated redshift of z = 0.053 as
measured from host-galaxy emission lines.


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 February 20                 (CBET 3026)              Daniel W. E. Green