2012CBET.3052....1H

S. Howerton, Arkansas City, KS, U.S.A.; A. J. Drake, S. G. Djorgovski, A. Mahabal, M. J. Graham, and R. Williams, California Institute of Technology; R. Roy, Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences; V. Mohan, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics; J. L. Prieto, Princeton University; M. Catelan, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; E. C. Beshore and S. M. Larson, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona; and E. Christensen, Gemini Observatory, report the discovery of an apparent supernova in public images from the Catalina Sky Survey (CSS).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------— SN 2012 UT R.A. (2000.0) Decl. Mag. Offset ---------------------------------------------------------------------------— 2012au Mar. 14.45 12 54 52.18 -10 14 50.2 13.8 3".5 E, 2".0 N ---------------------------------------------------------------------------—

The variable was designated PSN J12545218-1014502 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2012au based on the spectroscopic confirmation reported below. Additional magnitudes for 2012au (unfiltered unless noted otherwise): Feb. 22.46 UT, [19.4 (CSS); Mar. 2.36, 18.2 (CSS); 15.165, 13.5 (Howerton, 0.3-m telescope); 15.319, 13.6 (Joseph Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia; remotely using a 51-cm RCOS telescope + STL11K camera + luminance filter at the New Mexico Skies Observatory near Mayhill, NM, U.S.A.; position end figures 52s.22, 50".8; image posted at website URL http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/6839966426/); 15.335, 13.2 (L. Elenin, Lyubertsy, Russia, and I. Molotov, Moscow; images remotely taken at ISON-NM Observatory near Mayhill with a 0.45-m f/2.8 telescope; position end figures 52s.25 ± 0".2, 50".6 ± 0".1; NOMAD reference stars; image posted at URL http://spaceobs.org/images/TOCP/PSNJ12545218-1014502-20120315.png; limiting mag about 20.0); 16.457, 13.0 (R. A. Koff, Bennett, CO, USA; Meade 0.25-m f/10 reflector + Apogee AP-47p camera; limiting mag 17.4; position end figures 52s.16, 50".7).