2008CBET.1295....1B

S. Blondin, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, reports that a spectrum (range 350-740 nm) of 2008az (cf. CBET 1293), obtained on Mar. 10.51 UT by J. Hernandez with the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.5-m telescope (+ FAST), shows it to be a type-II- plateau supernova 3-4 weeks past explosion. Cross-correlation with a library of supernova spectra using the "Supernova Identification" code (SNID; Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) indicates that 2008az is most similar to the type-II-plateau supernova 1999em at 17 days past explosion. Adopting a recession velocity of 2918 km/s for the host galaxy of 2008az (from The Updated Zwicky Catalog, http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/uzc/), the maximum absorption in the H_alpha line (rest 656.3 nm) is blueshifted by roughly 7600 km/s.