Electronic Telegram No. 2990
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 2012M IN PGC 53433 = PSN J14565985+2435595
     A. Dimai, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, reports the discovery in the course
of the Italian Supernovae Search Project of an apparent supernova (mag about
17.0) on unfiltered CCD images (limiting mag about 18.0) taken with the
"Ullrich" 0.52-m telescope of the Col Drusci Observatory at Cortina d'AMpezzo,
Italy, on Jan. 20.139 UT.  The new object is located at R.A. = 14h56m59s.85,
Decl. +24d35'59".5 (equinox 2000.0), which is 8" west and 25" south of the
nucleus of PGC 53433 (= Arp 302).  Nothing is visible at this position on
Palomar Sky Survey infrared, red, and blue plates.  The discovery image is
posted at website URL http://tinyurl.com/74okrao.  The variable was designated
PSN J14565985+2435595 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage
and is here designated SN 2012M based on the spectroscopic confirmation
reported below.  Additional approximate unfiltered CCD magnitudes for 2012M:
Jan. 21.505, 17.9 (L. Elenin, Lyubertsy, Russia; remotely taken at the ISON-NM
Observatory near Mayhill, NM, USA, with a 0.45-m f/2.8 telescope; limiting mag
about 20.8; position end figures 59s.85, 59".8; estimated uncertainty in each
coordinate +/- 0".1; UCAC3 reference stars; image posted at website URL
http://tinyurl.com/6nhf599); 22.225, 16.9 (Dimai).

     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 J14565985+2435595 = SN 2012M,
obtained on Jan. 22.12 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 2012M is similar to SN 1998aq (Vinko et al. 1999, A.Ap. 345, 592) at
three weeks after maximum.

     G. H. Marion, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on
behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, reports that a spectrum (range 340-740 nm)
of PSN J14565985+2435595 = 2012M was obtained on Jan. 23 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 2012M is a type-Ia
supernova about three weeks after maximum light.  A good fit is found to the
template of the normal type-Ia supernova 2002cr at +20 days.


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 2990)              Daniel W. E. Green