Electronic Telegram No. 2000
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 2009jh
     Further to CBET 1958, R. Quimby, California Institute of Technology, on
behalf of the "Palomar Transient Factory" (cf. CBET 1820), reports the
independent discovery of SN 2009jh in R-band images taken on July 22.23
(at mag about 20.0) and Aug. 7.20 (mag about 19.3) with the Palomar 1.22-m
Oschin Schmidt telescope.  The position for SN 2009jh was measured to be
R.A. = 14h49m10s.08, Decl. = +29o25'11".4 (equinox 2000.0).  Nothing is
visible at this position on similar images taken on June 24.27 (limiting mag
about 21.6).  A spectrum (range 320-1000 nm), obtained on Aug. 25.29 with the
Keck I 10-m telescope (+ LRIS), shows that 2009jh is a peculiar supernova
similar to SN 2005ap (Quimby et al. 2009, Ap.J. 668, 99).  Identifying narrow
absorption lines with the Mg II (279.6, 280.3 nm) doublet sets the redshift
at z = 0.35.  The high luminosity and apparent lack of spectral features
from Ca or heavier elements suggest that the outburst may be due to the
pulsational electron-positron pair-instability and not a typical supernova.
This independent discovery of 2009jh was first reported by Quimby et al. at
website URL http://arxiv.org/abs/0910.0059.


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2009 CBAT
2009 October 30                  (CBET 2000)              Daniel W. E. Green