PSN J03220535-1523156 is a peculiar type Ia supernova
ATel #3901; S. B. Cenko, D. P. Cohen, A. V. Filippenko, J. M. Silverman, and M. Ganeshalingam (UC Berkeley)
on 1 Feb 2012; 10:57 UT
Credential Certification: S. Bradley Cenko (cenko@astro.berkeley.edu)
Subjects: Optical, Supernovae, Transient
Referred to by ATel #: 3909
We report that inspection of a CCD spectrum (range 340-1000 nm) obtained on Feb. 1 UT with the 3-m Shane reflector (+ Kast) at Lick Observatory shows that PSN J03220535-1523156 (ATEL#3900) is a peculiar type Ia supernova about a week before maximum light. Cross-correlation with a library of supernova spectra using the "Supernova Identification" code (SNID; Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) reveals that the spectrum of PSN J03220535-1523156 is similar to that of SN 2005hk (Chornock et al. 2006, PASP, 118, 722) and SN 1991T (Filippenko et al. 1992, ApJ, 384, L15) at around this epoch. The continuum emission is quite blue, with a weak Si II 635.5-nm feature. The object should become relatively bright; further follow-up observations are encouraged.
