2011CBET.2783....2B

D. D. Balam, Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, National Research Council of Canada (NRCC); M. L. Graham, Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope, University of California at Santa Barbara; E. Y. Hsiao, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory; and D. W. E. Green, Harvard University, report that a spectrogram (range 383-717 nm, resolution 0.3 nm) of PSN J02254889+1832000 = 2011ek, obtained on Aug. 7.41 UT with the 1.82-m Plaskett Telescope of the NRCC, shows it to be a type-Ia supernova before maximum light. Comparison with a library of supernova spectra using the "superfit" matching program of Howell et al. (2005, Ap.J. 634, 1190) indicates that 2011ek is a normal type-Ia supernova most similar to SN 2002bo at 11 days before maximum light.