Electronic Telegram No. 2623
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 2011A IN NGC 4902
     G. Pignata and M. Cifuentes, Universidad Andres Bello; J. Maza, M. Hamuy,
R. Antezana, L. Gonzalez, R. Cartier, F. Forster, S. Silva, and F. Carrasco,
Universidad de Chile; P. Gonzalez, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile;
B. Conuel, Wesleyan University; G. Folatelli, IPMU, University of Tokyo; and
D. Reichart, K. Ivarsen, J. Haislip, 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 16.9) on an unfiltered image taken on Jan. 2.30 UT with the
0.41-m 'PROMPT 4' telescope located at Cerro Tololo.  The new object, which
was confirmed at mag approximately 16.6 on images taken with the same
telescope on Jan. 5.27 and 7.31, is located at R.A. = 13h01m01s.19 +/- 0".2,
Decl. = -14o31'34".8 +/- 0".2 (equinox 2000.0), which is about 21".3 east
and 46".5 south of center of the galaxy NGC 4902.  Nothing is visible at this
position on archival images taken on 2010 May 1.18 and July 13.05 (limiting
mag 18.5).  SNe 1979E (cf. IAUC 3395) and 1991X (cf. IAUC 5258, 5263, 5288)
also appeared in NGC 4902.

     M. Stritzinger, Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University; J. L. Prieto
and N. Morrell, Carnegie Observatories; and G. Pignata, Universidad Andres
Bello, report that they obtained optical spectra of 2011A on Jan. 4.2 and
4.7 UT with the du Pont telescope (+ WFCCD) and the Gemini North telescope
(+ GMOS).  This variable appears to be a type-IIn supernova, most similar to
supernova 2005cl (Kiewe et al. 2010, http://lanl.arxiv.org/abs/1010.2689).


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      superseded by text appearing later in the printed IAU Circulars.

                         (C) Copyright 2011 CBAT
2011 January 8                   (CBET 2623)              Daniel W. E. Green