------------------------------------------------------------------- THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 1711 2001 Nov 18 15.59UT Ed:Guy M Hurst, 16,Westminster Close, Kempshott Rise, Basingstoke, Hants, RG22 4PP,England.Telephone/FAX(01256)471074Int:+441256471074 INTERNET: GUY@TAHQ.DEMON.CO.UK GMH at AST.STAR.RL.AC.UK WORLD WIDE WEB http://www.theastronomer.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERNOVA 2001fe IN UGC 5129 (Q2001/265) Mark Armstrong, discoverer of this supernova (cf TA E-Circular E1705) reports that a further image of 30 second integration, secured on 2001 November 15 at 05.15UT with a 0.30-m Schmidt- Cassegrain and unfiltered CCD, shows a clear brightening. On the original discovery report, the object was judged to be magnitude 16.0 on Nov 2.2UT and 15.9 on Nov 3.1UT. The image of Nov 15 shows a brightening to 14.7. A report from Jean Marie Llapasset, Perpignon Observatory, France indicated it was at magnitude 15.6 as imaged with a 0.27-m Schmidt- Cassegrain on Nov 6.2UT. T. Matheson, S. Jha, P. Challis, and R. Kirshner, Harvard- Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, report that a spectrum (range 370-750 nm) of SN 2001fe (cf. TA E-Circular E1705 ), obtained by P. Berlind on Nov. 14.49 UT with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST spectrograph), shows it to be a type-Ia supernova near maximum light. Adopting the NED recession velocity of 4059 km/s for the host galaxy, the supernova expansion velocity is about 11 200 km/s for Si II (rest 635.5 nm). The spectral- feature age of the supernova (Riess et al. 1997, A.J. 114, 722) is 1 +/- 2 days before maximum light. Filippenko and Chornock also report that inspection of CCD spectra, obtained at Lick as above on Nov. 15 UT, reveals that SN 2001fe is of type Ia, close to maximum brightness. IAUC 7752 The combination of the reported brightening by Mark and the spectral comments suggests this object needs to be monitored closely particularly during the next week or so. Guy M Hurst