Electronic Telegram No. 2991
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 2012N IN UGC 9396 = PSN J14354463+2443415
     J. Newton and T. Puckett report the discovery of an apparent supernova
(mag 16.5) on an unfiltered CCD image (limiting mag 18.7) taken with a 0.40-m
reflector at Portal, AZ, U.S.A., on Jan. 21.5233 UT in the course of the
Puckett Observatory Supernova Search.  The new object is located at R.A. =
14h35m44s.63, Decl. = +24o43'41".5 (equinox 2000.0), which is 15".4 west and
8".3 north of the center of UGC 9396.  The discoverers have posted an image at
website URL http://www.possdata.com/PSNJ14354463+2443415.jpg.  The variable
was designated PSN J14354463+2443415 when it was posted at the Central
Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2012N based on the
spectroscopic confirmation reported below.  Additional magnitudes for 2012N
(via unfiltered CCD unless noted otherwise):  1992 June 5, [19.5 (Palomar Sky
Survey, F plate; via Simone Leonini, Siena, Italy); 1994 Mar. 8, [19.5 POSS,
J and N plates; via Leonini); 2011 Mar. 21, [19.4 (Puckett); May 25, [19.0
(Leonini); 2012 Jan. 18.151, 17.4 (Leonini, with G. Guerrini, P. Rosi, and
L. M. Tinjaca Ramirez; pre-discovery; limiting mag about 19.0; found in the
course of an automatic survey of the Italian Supernovae Search Project using
a 0.53-m f/8.7 Ritchey-Chretien telescope + Apogee Alta U47 CCD camera;
position end figures 44s.68, 41".7); 22.185, 16.8 (Nick James, Chelmsford,
Essex, England; image posted at website URL http://tinyurl.com/7bt2e4h);
23.535, V = 16.0 (M. Simonsen; K35 AAVSOnet 35-cm reflector at Cloudcroft,
NM, U.S.A.; via Puckett).

     L. Tomasella, S. Valenti, A. Pastorello, S. Benetti, E. Cappellaro, and
P. Ochner, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di
Padova, report that a spectrogram of PSN J14354463+2443415 = SN 2012N,
obtained on Jan. 22.18 UT with the 1.82-m Copernico Telescope (+ AFOSC; range
340-790 nm, resolution 2.2 nm), indicates that it is a type-Ia supernova.
Cross-correlation with a library of supernova spectra via the "Supernova
Identification" code (SNID; Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) shows
that 2012N is similar to SN 1991M at a few days after maximum.

     G. H. Marion, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on
behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, report that a spectrum (range 340-740 nm)
of PSN J14354463+2443415 = 2012N was obtained on Jan. 22 UT by J. Irwin with
the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST).  Cross-correlation
with a library of supernova spectra using the "Supernova Identification" code
(SNID; Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) shows that 2012N is a type-Ia
supernova near maximum light.  A good fit is found to the template of SN
2000dp at maximum.  The velocity of the Si II 635.5-nm absorption feature is
measured to be approximately 11800 km/s, using an estimated redshift of z =
0.034, measured from host-galaxy emission lines.


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

                         (C) Copyright 2012 CBAT
2012 January 24                  (CBET 2991)              Daniel W. E. Green