2009CBET.2080....1M

P. Marples, Loganholme, Queensland, Australia, reports the discovery by Stuart Parker (Canterbury, New Zealand), as part of the "Backyard Observatory Supernova Search" team, of an apparent supernova (red mag 15.3) on a 30-s unfiltered CCD image taken on Dec. 15.495 UT with a 0.35-m f/5 Celestron C14 reflector (+ ST8 CCD camera). C. Drescher, Calamvale, Queensland, measures the position of the new object from the discovery image (via Astrometrica with the USNO-B1.0 catalogue) to be R.A. = 0:06:21.37, Decl. = -41:28:59.8 (equinox 2000.0), which is 16" east and 60" north of the nucleus of the galaxy PGC 474 (= ESO 293-34); SN 1988ai was located about 4" west of this position (cf. IAUC 8137). Nothing is visible at this position on unfiltered images taken by Parker on Oct. 18.370 (limiting red magnitude 18.4) or Nov. 11.513 (limiting red magnitude 18.6). A confirming 25-s unfiltered image taken by Marples on Dec. 16.43 using a 30.5-cm LX200 ACF telescope (+ Starlight Xpress SXVH9 CCD camera) shows 2009mk at red mag 15.3.