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- Circular No. 5408
- Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
- INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION
- Postal Address: Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
- Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
- Telephone 617-495-7244/7440/7444 (for emergency use only)
- TWX 710-320-6842 ASTROGRAM CAM EASYLINK 62794505
- MARSDEN or GREEN@CFA.BITNET MARSDEN or GREEN@CFAPS2.SPAN
-
-
- SUPERNOVA 1991bg IN NGC 4374
- M. Della Valle, J. Danziger, and C. Gouiffes, European Southern
- Observatory, communicate: "A CCD spectrogram (range 400-840 nm,
- resolution about 2 nm) of SN 1991bg was obtained on Dec. 15.4 UT
- with the 3.54-m New Technology Telescope (+ EMMI) at La Silla. The
- spectrum is dominated by strong absorptions of Si II (635.5, 597.2,
- 564.0, 545.4 nm) and Fe II (492.4 nm), indicating a type-Ia superno-
- va. The expansion velocity deduced from the minima of the Si II
- 635.5-nm absorption is 10 200 km/s. Preliminary photometric mea-
- surements give V = 14.11 +/- 0.02 and B = 14.87 +/- 0.03. This im-
- plies E(B-V) about 0.7-0.9 and B(0) = 11.9 at maximum light if it is
- a normal type-Ia object. This compares with Bmax = 12.2 for SN
- 1957B in the same galaxy. Alverado and Wenderoth (IIT) report simi-
- lar colors obtained from CCD photometry on the 0.90-m Dutch tele-
- scope for Dec. 16.3. If the SN is normal, all these measurements
- are consistent (within +/- 0.2 mag), with the age at Dec. 15 being
- 0-7 days past maximum and with significant reddening."
- M. M. Phillips and M. Hamuy, Cerro Tololo Interamerican Obser-
- vatory, report: "Low-dispersion CCD spectrophotometry (range 350.0-
- 730.0 nm) of SN 1991bg was obtained by J. Maza (University of Chile)
- on Dec. 15.35 UT with the CTIO 4.0-m telescope. The spectrum resem-
- bles that of a type-Ia event within about 1 week of maximum, but
- with clear peculiarities (cf. IAUC 5403, 5405). The following mag-
- nitudes were synthesized from an observation obtained through a 7"
- slit: V = 14.03, B-V = +0.86. Direct CCD images were obtained by
- N. Caldwell (F. L. Whipple Observatory) on Dec. 17.35 UT with the
- CTIO 0.91-m telescope. A preliminary reduction of these data yields
- V = 14.05 and B-V = +0.89, suggesting that the supernova is near
- maximum. The red color is also unusual for a type-Ia supernova at
- maximum. Although NGC 4374 has a small dust lane near its nucleus
- (see Gallagher 1986, PASP 98, 81), the supernova is located well
- outside this region. Because of this and the lack of evidence for
- interstellar Na I D absorption lines in Maza's low-dispersion spec-
- trum, we consider it unlikely that the supernova magnitudes and col-
- ors have been affected significantly by dust extinction. Hence, if
- SN 1991bg has actually reached maximum, it would appear to be as
- much as 3 mag fainter in B than the type-I SN 1957B which occurred
- in the same galaxy."
- Visual magnitude estimates: Dec. 14.167 UT, 13.8 (S. Pesci,
- Milan, Italy); 15.52, 13.9 (W. Johnson, Anza, CA).
-
-
- 1991 December 18 Daniel W. E. Green