2008CBET.1278....1D

A. J. Drake, A. Mahabal, S. G. Djorgovski, M. J. Graham, and R. Williams, California Institute of Technology; E. C. Beshore and S. M. Larson, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona; and E. Christensen, Gemini Observatory, report the discovery of two apparent supernovae that have been detected in sequences of four 30-s exposures via the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) with the 0.7-m f/1.9 Catalina Schmidt telescope (+ 4000x4000 camera): SN 2008 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset 2008au Feb. 27.33 11 30 33.95 +13 09 05.3 18.7 11".4 W, 9".0 S 2008av Mar. 2.50 14 57 26.27 +23 23 48.3 19.1 3" W, 17" S SN 2008au is near the edge of a galaxy catalogued by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with z = 0.082 and magnitudes g about 17.9 and r about 17.6. The new object is not seen in CSS images reaching mag approximately 20 taken on (and before) Jan. 31.36 UT, nor is 2008au present in prior CSS co-added images (reaching V mag approximately 21.5) or in Digitized Sky Survey (DSS), SDSS, and Palomar-Quest images (reaching mag around 23). R. Robb and D. Balam, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, confirm the presence of 2008au as a star of magnitude g(SDSS) = 18.65 on Mar. 1.32 on CCD images obtained with the 1.82-m Plaskett Telescope of the National Research Council of Canada; their comparison with the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey shows nothing at the position of 2008au (measured position end figures 33s.95, 05".3; the tabulated offset above is from Robb and Balam). Specific details and links to discovery data for 2008au can be found at the following URL: http://voeventnet.caltech.edu/feeds/ATEL/CSS/802271120614120311.html