Electronic Telegram No. 4214
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Mailing address:  Hoffman Lab 209; Harvard University;
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Prepared using the Tamkin Foundation Computer Network


SUPERNOVA 2015bc IN UGC 3301 = PSN J05225991-0008174
     R. Gagliano, R. Post, J. Newton, and T. Puckett report the discovery of
an apparent supernova (mag 18.1) on unfiltered CCD images (limiting mag 19.0)
taken with a 0.60-m reflector at Mayhill, NM, U.S.A., on Dec. 2.295 UT in the
course of the Puckett Observatory Supernova Search.  The new object is
located at R.A. = 5h22m59s.91, Decl. = -0d08'17".4 (equinox J2000.0), which
is 12".4 east and 8".6 north of the center of UGC 3301.  An image of the
variable can be seen at URL http://www.possdata.com/PSNJ05225991-0008174.jpg.
The variable was designated PSN J05225991-0008174 when it was posted at the
Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2015bc based on the
spectroscopic confirmation reported below.

     A. Pastorello, L. Tartaglia, S. Benetti, E. Cappellaro, N. Elias-Rosa,
P. Ochner, L. Tomasella, G. Terreran, and M. Turatto, Osservatorio Astronomico
di Padova, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, report that an optical
spectrogram (range 340-820 nm; resolution 1.4 nm) of PSN J05225991-0008174 =
SN 2015bc, obtained on Dec. 3.98 UT with the Asiago 182-cm Copernico Telescope
(+ AFOSC) in the framework of the Asiago Transient Classification Program
(Tomasella et al. 2014, A.N. 335, 841), shows that this is a young type-II
supernova.  The value of the host galaxy (UGC 3301) redshift, z = 0.03474, is
taken from Ostriker et al. (1988, A.J. 96, 1775; via NED).  The best match is
obtained with SN 1999gi (Leonard et al. 2002, A.J. 124, 2490) a few days
after the explosion.  The spectrum shows broad and shallow P-Cyg lines of H
and He I.  The ejecta velocity, obtained from the position of the H-beta
minimum, is about 9800 km/s.  Classifications were done with GELATO
(Harutyunyan et al. 2008, A.Ap. 488, 383) and SNID (Blondin and Tonry 2007,
Ap.J. 666, 1024).  The Asiago classification spectra are posted at website URL
http://sngroup.oapd.inaf.it.


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2015 CBAT
2015 December 6                  (CBET 4214)              Daniel W. E. Green