2008CBET.1310....1M

N. Morrell and M. Stritzinger, on the behalf of the Carnegie Supernova Project, report that a spectrogram (range 360-940 nm) of 2008bf (cf. CBET 1307), obtained on Mar. 20.23 UT with the Magellan Clay 6.5-m telescope (+ LDSS3) at Las Campanas Observatory, shows it to be a type-Ia supernova around a week before maximum. The spectrum exhibits a blue continuum with strong absorption due to Si II and a very prominent Ca II H and K feature. Using the 'superfit' spectrum-comparison tool (Howell et al. 2005, Ap.J. 634, 1190), 2008bf appears to be most similar to supernova 1990N at ten days before maximum. From the minimum of the Si II 635.5-nm absorption line, an expansion velocity of either 12400 km/s or 11500 km/s is derived, depending on the the adopted redshift, which is 7203 km/s for NGC 4055 (de Vaucouleurs et al. 1991, 3rd Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies, v. 3.9) or 6326 km/s for NGC 4057 (Mahdavi and Geller 2004, Ap.J. 607, 202).