2008CBET.1264....1S

J. M. Silverman, T. N. Steele, M. Ganeshalingam, N. Lee, and A. V. Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley, report that inspection of CCD spectra (range 330-1050 nm), obtained on Feb. 16 UT with the Shane 3-m reflector (+ Kast spectrograph) at Lick Observatory, shows that 2008ai (cf. CBET 1256) is a type-Ia supernova, approximately one week past maximum brightness, and 2008aj (cf. CBET 1259) is a type-IIn supernova. Removing the host-galaxy recession velocity of 10571 km/s (Huchra et al. 1995, Ap.J. Suppl. 99, 391) for 2008ai, the minimum of the Si II 635.5-nm absorption feature is found to be blueshifted by about 10500 km/s. The spectrum of 2008aj consists of a nearly featureless continuum with superimposed strong, relatively narrow, hydrogen Balmer emission lines (average FWHM about 800 km/s).