Electronic Telegram No. 3241
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 2012fd IN ESO 488-G51 = PSN J05585193-2320242
     Greg Bock, Windaroo, Queensland, Australia, reports his discovery of an
apparent supernova (mag 15.2) on a 30-s unfiltered CCD image taken on Sept.
22.67 UT by Stuart Parker (Oxford, Canterbury, New Zealand) with a 35-cm
Celestron C14 reflector (+ ST10 camera) as part of their Backyard Observatory
Supernova Search (BOSS); confirming images were taken by both Stuart and Bock
on Sept. 27.  The new object is located at R.A. = 5h58m51s.93, Decl. =
-23d20'24".2 (equinox 2000.0), which is 6".3 west and 2".1 south of the
nucleus of the galaxy ESO 488-G51.  Nothing is visible at this position on
Digitized Sky Survey red and infrared images (limiting red mag > 19).  The
variable was designated PSN J05585193-2320242 when it was posted at the
Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2012fd based on the
spectroscopic confirmation reported below.

     N. Morrell, Las Campanas Observatory, Carnegie Supernova Project; and
P. Massey and K. Neugent, Lowell Observatory, report on an optical spectrum
(range 360-940 nm) of PSN J05585193-2320242 = SN 2012fd obtained on Sept.
28.39 UT with the 6.5-m Magellan II (Clay) telescope (+ MagE), which shows
that this is a somewhat-evolved type-Ia supernova.  Cross-correlation with a
library of supernova spectra by means of the Supernova Identification tool
(SNID; Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) yields excellent matches with
a number of normal type-Ia supernovae nearly one month after maximum
brightness.  SNID also suggests a reshift of 0.019, in coincidence with the
recession velocity of 5831 km/s (from HIPASS, the H I Parkes All-Sky Survey
Final Catalogue, 2006; via NED) for the host galaxy, ESO 488-G51.


NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes
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                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 September 29                (CBET 3241)              Daniel W. E. Green