2005CBET..291....1P

F. Patat and D. Baade, European Southern Observatory (ESO); and L. Wang, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, report that they have observed SN 2005ke (cf. IAUC 8630, CBET 289) on Nov. 16.57 UT with ESO's Very Large Telescope (+ FORS1 in polarimetric mode). A fully reduced spectrum (340-855 nm, resolution 1.3 nm FWHM) shows 2005ke to be a type-Ib/c supernova before maximum. Well- developed features, accompanied by P-Cyg profiles, are identified as Ca II, Fe II, Na I (possibly blended with He I), Si II, and O I. The synthetic colors deduced from the spectrum are B-V = +0.33 and V-R = +0.24, while the expansion velocity deduced from the absorption minima of Si II 635-nm and the Ca II H and K lines are 11400 and 13300 km/s, respectively. Similarly high velocities are seen also in the O I 777.4-nm and in the Ca II infrared triplet lines. A preliminary reduction of the spectropolarimetric data indicates a polarization degree of several percent in both the Ca II H and K and the Ca II infrared triplet absorption throughs.