Electronic Telegram No. 3266
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 2012fj IN NGC 6103 = PSN J16154486+3157477
     Ron Arbour (South Wonston, Hants, U.K.) reports the discovery of an
apparent supernova (mag 16.5) on an unfiltered CCD image taken on Sept. 19.879
UT using a 35-cm f/6 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (+ SXVF H9 camera) in the
course of his supernova patrol.  The new object is located at R.A. =
16h15m44s.86, Decl. = +31d57'47".7 (equinox 2000.0), which is 3" east and 2"
south of the center of the galaxy NGC 6103.  Nothing was visible at this
position on digitized Palomar Sky Survey plates from 1989 May 3 (red) and
1994 Apr. 19 (blue).  The variable was designated PSN J16154486+3157477 when
it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN
2012fj based on the spectroscopic confirmation reported below.  Additional
CCD magnitudes for 2012fj:  Sept. 20.850, 16.1 (D. Grennan, Dublin, Ireland;
0.35-m reflector; position end figures 44s.80, 48".4 with uncertainty 0".5 in
each coordinate; precise astrometry and photometry difficult due to the
proximity of the new object to the core of NGC 6103; image posted at URL
http://www.webtreatz.com/images/J16154486+3157477.jpg); Sept. 21.138, 16.9
(J. Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia; luminance filter; position end figures
44s.91, 48".0; image posted at the following website URL:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/8016942732/).

     L. Tomasella, S. Benetti, E. Cappellaro, A. Pastorello, and M. Turatto,
Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, report
that a spectrogram of PSN J16154486+3157477 = 2012fj, obtained on Oct. 22.73
UT with the Asiago 1.82-m Copernico Telescope (+ AFOSC; range 350-820 nm;
resolution 1.3 nm), suggests that this is a type-II supernova.  Together with
Balmer lines showing P-Cyg profiles, Fe II lines and the Na I doblet feature
are detected.  Adopting for the host galaxy (NGC 6103) the redshift z =
0.031422 (Falco et al. 1999, PASP 111, 438; via NED), the best fit with the
GELATO tool (Harutyuyan et al. 2008, A.Ap. 488, 383) is obtained with the
type-IIP supernova 1995ad at 3-4 weeks after explosion.


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 October 24                  (CBET 3266)              Daniel W. E. Green