Electronic Telegram No. 3032
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 2012ak IN PGC 29010 = PSN J10012720+3640120
    E. Briggs, J. Newton, and T. Puckett report the discovery of an apparent
supernova (mag 17.7) on an unfiltered CCD image (limiting mag 19.1) taken with
a 0.40-m reflector at Portal, AZ, U.S.A., on Feb. 21.2015 UT in the course of
the Puckett Observatory Supernova Search.  The new object, which was confirmed
at mag 17.7 on Feb. 22.272 by Puckett with the 40-cm reflector at Portal, is
located at R.A. = 10h01m27s.20, Decl. = +36o40'12".0 (equinox 2000.0), which
is 8".1 east and 4".0 south of the center of PGC 29010.  Nothing is visible at
this position on images taken by Puckett on 2011 Nov. 30 (limiting mag 19.0).
The discovery image has been posted at the following website URL by Puckett:
http://www.possdata.com/PSNJ10012720+3640120.jpg.  The variable was designated
PSN J10012720+3640120 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage
and is here designated SN 2012ak based on the spectroscopic confirmation
reported below.  Joseph Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia, reports magnitude 18.9
and position end figures 27s.30, 12".4 from images taken remotely on Feb.
23.32 using a 51-cm RCOS telescope (+ STL11K camera + luminance filter) at
the New Mexico Skies Observatory near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.; his image is posted
at website URL http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/6778670932/.

     L. Tomasella, S. Benetti, A. Pastorello, and S. Valenti, Istituto
Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, report that a
spectrogram of PSN J10012720+3640120 = SN 2012ak, obtained on Feb. 25.84 UT
with the 1.82-m Copernico Telescope (+ AFOSC; range 340-790 nm, resolution
2.4 nm), indicates that it is a young type-II supernova.  Cross-correlation
with a library of supernova spectra via GELATO (Harutyuyan et al. 2008, A.Ap.
488, 383) gives a best fit with type-II supernovae soon after explosion,
assuming a recession velocity of 12461 km/s for the host galaxy, PGC 29010
(SDSS 2004, via NED).


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 February 27                 (CBET 3032)              Daniel W. E. Green