2008CBET.1454....1B

S. Blondin, P. Challis, and R. Kirshner, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on behalf of the CfA Supernova Group, report that a spectrogram (range 320-840 nm) of 2008ek (cf. CBET 1452), obtained on July 30.20 UT by P. Challis with the MMT 6.5-m telescope (+ Blue Channel spectrograph), shows it to be a type-Ia supernova around maximum light. Cross-correlation with a library of supernova spectra using the "Supernova Identification" code (Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) indicates that 2008ek is most similar to the subluminous type-Ia supernova 2007al (cf. CBET 878) at two days past maximum. Adopting a recession velocity of 10250 km/s for the host galaxy (from The Updated Zwicky Catalog), the maximum absorption in the Si II line (rest 635.5 nm) is blueshifted by roughly 10000 km/s. Assuming that the galaxy is in the Hubble flow and that the supernova suffers negligible extinction, the discovery magnitude of 18.9 corresponds to an absolute magnitude of roughly -17, comparable to SN 1991bg at the same age.