2004IAUC.8371....3G

C. L. Gerardy and G. H. Marion, University of Texas at Austin, report that a low-resolution optical spectrogram (resolution 300; range 410-1000 nm) of SN 2004da (cf. IAUC 8370), obtained on July 8.26 UT with the 9.2-m Hobby/Eberly Telescope (+ Marcario Low- Resolution Spectrograph) by M. Shetrone and F. Deglman, indicates that it is a peculiar type-Ia supernova, a few days after maximum light. The spectrum resembles that of SN 1997br when eight days past maximum light (Li et al. 1999, A.J. 117, 2709), albeit exhibiting somewhat larger expansion velocities, perhaps indicating that SN 2004da is at an earlier epoch. Adopting the redshift of NGC 6901 from the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (4794 km/s), the expansion velocity from the absorption minimum of the Si II feature (rest wavelength 635.5 nm) is 15600 km/s.