2005IAUC.8465....2F

R. J. Foley and A. V. Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley, report that inspection of CCD spectra (range 320-920 nm), obtained on Jan. 15 UT with the Keck I 10-m telescope (+ LRIS), reveals that SN 2005E is of type Ib/c, close to (or perhaps a few days before) maximum brightness. The presence of weak He I absorption lines favors the type-Ib classification, although the differences between type-Ib and -Ic supernovae can be difficult to discern at early times. SN 2005F is of type Ia, about 2.5 weeks past maximum. Adopting the NED redshift of 8545 km/s, the minimum of the 635.5-nm Si II feature is at a velocity of 10700 km/s. SN 2004gw (IAUC 8459) is probably of type Ia, 3-4 weeks past maximum brightness, although it exhibits a number of spectral peculiarities that render the classification uncertain. SN 2005D (IAUC 8464) is of type II, roughly a month after the explosion. H_alpha has a classic P-Cyg profile, and the other Balmer and Fe II lines are strong. Adopting the NED redshift of 8505 km/s, the ejecta velocity measured from the H_alpha absorption minimum is unusually large, about 13000 km/s. Weak He I absorption lines are present, suggesting that the object is specifically of type IIb; indeed, its spectral characteristics are similar to those of the first-reported spectrum of SN 2004ex (IAUC 8420), which eventually developed prominent He I lines (IAUC 8446), although SN 2005D has stronger He I absorption and a redder continuum, consistent with it being somewhat older than SN 2004ex.