2004IAUC.8337....2M

G. H. Marion and C. L. Gerardy, University of Texas at Austin, report that a low-resolution optical spectrogram (resolution 300; range 410-1000 nm) of SN 2004bl (cf. IAUC 8334), obtained on May 8.16 UT with the 9.2-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope (+ Marcario Low- Resolution Spectrograph) by S. Odewahn and M. Graver, shows it to be a type-Ia supernova within a few days of maximum light; adopting the NED redshift of 5192 km/s for MCG +00-31-42, the expansion velocity of the Si II feature (rest wavelength 635.5 nm) is found to be 11300 km/s.