Electronic Telegram No. 873
Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
M.S. 18, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
IAUSUBS@CFA.HARVARD.EDU or FAX 617-495-7231 (subscriptions)
CBAT@CFA.HARVARD.EDU (science)
URL http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html


SUPERNOVA 2007aj
     R. Quimby, University of Texas, reports that a spectrogram (range
420-890 nm) of the variable object identified by D. R. Madison and W. Li
on CBET 871, obtained on Mar. 10.24 UT with the 9.2-m Hobby-Eberly
Telescope (+ Marcario Low-Resolution Spectrograph) by M. Shetrone and V.
Riley, shows it to be a type-Ia supernova, being quite similar to the
spectrum of SN 1998bu around eight days after maximum light (Jha et al.
1999, Ap.J. Suppl. 125, 73).  Using the 1998bu spectrum as a template,
an approximate redshift of z = 0.03 is found for 2007aj, which implies an
absolute magnitude of about -15 for the host galaxy (which itself is
listed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey catalogue at R.A. = 12h47m54s.53,
Decl. = +54o00'38".5, equinox 2000.0, and is thus apparently the faint
compact galaxy noted by Madison and Li on the Digitized Sky Survey at the
location of 2007aj).


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2007 CBAT
2007 March 10                    (CBET 873)               Daniel W. E. Green