2012CBET.3034....1O

T. Orff, J. Newton, and T. Puckett report the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag 17.6) on an unfiltered CCD image (limiting mag 19.2) taken with a 0.40-m reflector at Portal, AZ, U.S.A., on Feb. 24.274 UT in the course of the Puckett Observatory Supernova Search. The new object, which was confirmed at mag 17.5 on Feb. 25.266 by Puckett with the 40-cm reflector at Portal, is located at R.A. = 10:54:01.67, Decl. = +46:01:38.9 (equinox 2000.0), which is 7".7 west and 1".6 south of the center of UGC 6015. Nothing is visible at this position on images taken by Puckett on Jan. 31 (limiting mag 18.9). The variable was designated PSN J10540167+4601389 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2012am based on the spectroscopic confirmation reported below. The discoverers posted an image of 2012am at website URL http://www.possdata.com/PSNJ10540167+4601389.jpg. Joseph Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia, reports magnitude 17.8 and position end figures 01s.75, 38".0 for 2012am from images taken remotely using a 51-cm RCOS telescope (+ STL11K camera + luminance filter) at the New Mexico Skies Observatory near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A., on Feb. 25.419; his image is posted at URL http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/6782162750/. The type-Ia supernova 2006cf (cf. IAUC 8710, CBET 514) also appeared in UGC 6015.