Electronic Telegram No. 1629 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 2008ik G. Pignata, J. Maza, M. Hamuy, R. Antezana, L. Gonzalez, P. Gonzalez, P. Lopez, S. Silva, G. Folatelli, D. Iturra, R. Cartier, and F. Forster, Universidad de Chile; B. Conuel, Wesleyan University; and D. Reichart, K. Ivarsen, A. Crain, D. Foster, M. Nysewander, and A. LaCluyze, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, on behalf of the CHASE project, report the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag approximately 17.6 +/- 0.4) on an R-band image taken on Dec. 17.14 UT with the 0.41-m 'PROMPT 4' telescope located at Cerro Tololo. The new object, which is also present at mag approximately 17.5 +/- 0.4 on images taken on Dec. 19.09 and 20.06, is located at R.A. = 3h36m09s.54 +/- 0".1, Decl. = -35o13'00".7 +/- 0".1 (equinox 2000), which is about 2".0 west and 1".3 north of the center of the apparent host galaxy. Nothing is visible at this position on archival images taken on Nov. 18.10 and 25.11 (limiting mag 18.0). M. Stritzinger, P. Lira, and G. Pignata, on behalf of the Carnegie Supernova Project, report that a spectrum (range 380-920 nm) of 2008ik, obtained on Dec. 19.2 UT with the du Pont telecope (+ WFCCD) at Las Campanas Observatory, shows it to be a type-Ic supernova around maximum light. Comparison with a library of supernovae spectra via the "Supernova Identification" program (Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) reveals that 2008ik is similar to supernova 2004aw (Taubenberger et al. 2006, MNRAS 371, 1459) at one day past maximum. Adopting a host-galaxy recession velocity of 19390 km/s (Dringkwater et al. 2000, A.Ap. 355, 900), the Ca II triplet (rest 866.2 nm) is measured to be blue-shifted by roughly 13000 km/s. NOTE: These 'Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams' are sometimes superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars. (C) Copyright 2008 CBAT 2008 December 22 (CBET 1629) Daniel W. E. Green