2008CBET.1455....1B

S. Blondin, P. Challis, and R. Kirshner, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), on behalf of the CfA Supernova Group; and T. Matheson, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, report that a spectrogram (range 320-840 nm) of 2008ej (cf. CBET 1451), obtained on July 30.42 UT by P. Challis with the MMT 6.5-m telescope (+ Blue Channel spectrograph), shows it to be a highly-reddened type-II supernova. The spectrum is strongly contaminated by the host galaxy, giving rise to a red continuum and suppressing weak supernova lines. Nonetheless, a strong P-Cyg profile of H_alpha is clearly seen, consistent with the plateau phase of a normal type-II supernova. A recession velocity cz = 6547 ± 59 km/s is derived using five emission lines in the host-galaxy spectrum, which is within about 200 km/s of the 21-cm H I redshift posted via NED (6331 ± 10 km/s; from de Vaucouleurs et al. 1991, Third Ref. Cat. of Bright Galaxies). Adopting this recession velocity for the host galaxy of 2008ej, the maximum absorption in the H_alpha line (rest 656.3 nm) is blueshifted by roughly 5500 km/s. Also, interstellar Na I D absorption at the redshift of the host galaxy is visible in the spectrum with an equivalent width of 0.5 nm.