Electronic Telegram No. 1362 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://www.cfa.harvard.edu/iau/cbat.html SUPERNOVA 2008cd IN NGC 5038 S. Blondin, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, reports that a spectrogram (range 350-740 nm) of 2008cd (cf. CBET 1360), obtained by P. Berlind on Apr. 30.28 UT with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST), shows it to be a highly reddened type-Ia supernova around maximum light. The supernova spectrum is heavily contaminated by that of its host galaxy but enables the identification of a strong blueshifted absorption due to Si II (rest 635.5 nm), characteristic of type-Ia supernovae. Adopting a recession velocity of 2222 km/s for the host galaxy (from Strauss et al. 1992, Ap.J. Suppl. 83, 29), the maximum absorption in the Si II line (rest 635.5 nm) is blueshifted by roughly 10500 km/s. Also, interstellar Na I D absorption at the redshift of the host galaxy is visible in the spectrum with an equivalent width of 0.4 nm. NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2008 CBAT 2008 May 1 (CBET 1362) Daniel W. E. Green