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THE ASTRONOMER Electronic Circular No 2793      2012 Jan 16 20.38UT
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      Backup: gmh@wdcc1.bnsc.rl.ac.uk
WORLD WIDE WEB                         http://www.theastronomer.org
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SUPERNOVA 2012A in NGC 3239
This object reported on E-Circular 2792 has been designated SN 2012A. 
The discovery has now been announced by the Central Bureau and was found 
at magnitude 14.6 on an unfiltered image of Jan 7 using a 0.40-m 
reflector at Portal, AZ, USA. Nothing was visible at this position on 
images taken by Puckett on 2011 Dec. 29 (limiting mag 19.0).

V. Stanishev, Centro Multidisciplinar de Astrofisica, Instituto Superior 
Tecnico, Lisbon, on behalf of a larger collaboration, reports that a 
spectrum of SN 2012A, obtained on 2012 Jan. 10.145UT by T. Pursimo with 
the Nordic Optical Telescope (+ ALFOSC; range 350-920 nm), shows it to 
be a type-II supernova soon after explosion.

Rupak Roy, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, 
Nainital; and Sayan Chakraborti, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 
Mumbai, on behalf of a larger collaboration, report that it is a 
type-IIP supernova.  Medium-resolution slit spectroscopy (range 350-750 
nm) was acquired at the IUCAA Girawali Observatory on Jan. 10, showing 
broad H_alpha and H_beta features showing the spectra similar to that of 
the type-IIP supernova 2004et at age 1.9 days before maximum (age from 
explosion 14.2 days).  The spectra are also similar to SN 2008in (also a 
type-IIP event; Chakraborti et al. 2008, CBET 1638) before maximum 
light.

An image by Nick James on 2012 January 10 at 23h04mUT in poor conditions 
and unfiltered resulted in a measure of magnitude 14.1.

Guy Hurst reports that photometry using the Sierra Stars 0.61-0m 
Cassegrain telescope on 2012 Jan 12.460UT gave 13.9V using comparisons 
from the AAVSO chart reference 6088BA.

A further image was obtained by Len Adam in Spain on Jan 14 at 01h02mUT 
using a Celestron 14 and the unfiltered magnitude was 13.89.

MASTER OPTICAL TRANSIENT 061730.02+3540.6
This object was announced on TA E-Circular 2791.

Len Adam, currently in Spain at Sierra Cabrera during winter search for 
supernovae, obtain an image of the Optical Transient on 2012 Jan 4 at 
22h22mUT and obtained an unfiltered magnitude 17.13. The image was a 30 
second exposure with a Celestron 14 + Paramount ME using a SBIG ST-9XE.

The editor has relayed the result to Professor V. Lipunov of Moscow 
State University who has expressed appreciation for this confirmation.

Guy M Hurst