2003IAUC.8246....2F

A. V. Filippenko, R. Chornock, and R. J. Foley, University of California, Berkeley, report that inspection of CCD spectra (range 320-940 nm), obtained on Nov. 29 UT with the Keck-I 10-m telescope, reveals that SN 2003kg and SN 2003kh (IAUC 8245) are of type Ia, with spectral-feature ages (cf. Riess et al. 1997, A.J. 114, 722) of 0 ± 2 and 7 ± 2 days (respectively) past maximum brightness. In both objects, though especially in the latter, the Ti II/Si II 590-nm absorption feature is unusually strong relative to the Si II 615-nm line, characteristic of subluminous type-Ia supernovae. However, the Ti II 420-nm absorption trough often seen in such objects (e.g., SN 1991bg; cf. Filippenko et al. 1992, A.J. 104, 1543) is largely absent. The expansion velocities of the ejecta, measured from the Si II 615-nm absorption, are 13700 km/s for SN 2003kg and 10300 km/s for SN 2003kh. The redshift of the host galaxy of SN 2003kh is 0.0334, measured from narrow H_alpha emission.