2004IAUC.8321....3M

T. Matheson, P. Challis, and R. Kirshner, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, report that a spectrum (range 370-750 nm) of SN 2004bg (cf. IAUC 8317), obtained by P. Berlind on Apr. 11.39 UT with the Mt. Hopkins 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST spectrograph), shows it to be a type-Ia supernova near maximum. Adopting the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database recession velocity of 6306 km/s for the host galaxy, the supernova expansion velocity is 10600 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 3 ± 2 days before maximum light.