2012CBET.3185....1C

F. Ciabattari, E. Mazzoni, and M. Rossi, Borgo a Mozzano, Italy, report their discovery of an apparent supernova (mag 17.4) on unfiltered CCD images (limiting magnitude 19.5) obtained on July 16.97 and 17.85 UT with a 0.5-m Newtonian telescope in the course of the Italian Supernovae Search Project. The new object is located at R.A. = 16:23:45.92, Decl. = +9:47:12.3 (equinox 2000.0; astrometry with respect to UCAC-2 stars), which is 12" east and 5" south of the center of the galaxy PGC 58009. Nothing is visible at this position on the discoverers' images of the same field from June 2010 (limiting magnitude 19.0). The variable was designated PSN J16234592+0947123 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2012ds based on the spectroscopic confirmation reported below. Additional magnitudes reported for 2012ds: 1987 June 28, [20.3 (Digitized Sky Survey, Palomar F plate; via Ciabattari); 1988 June 11, [20.3 (DSS, Palomar J plate; via Ciabattari); 2012 July 17.942, 17.2 (Federica Luppi and Luca Buzzi, Varese, Italy; 0.38-m f/6.8 reflector; position end figures 45s.89, 13".0; reference stars from NOMAD catalogue; image posted at the following website URL: http://www.astrogeo.va.it/pub/TOCP/PSN_P58009.jpg); July 18.263, 17.1 (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 45s.90, 12".9; image posted at URL http://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/7600562452/); July 18.852, R_c = 17.0 (Massimiliano Martignoni, Magnago, Italy; 0.25-m f/10 reflector; position end figures 45s.91, 12".9); July 19.202, 16.4 (L. Elenin, Lyubertsy, Russia, and I. Molotov, Moscow, Russia, remotely taken at the ISON-NM Observatory near Mayhill, NM, USA, with a 0.45-m f/2.8 telescope; limiting mag about 20.0; position end figures 45s.87 ± 0".12, 12".9 ± 0".13; reference stars from NOMAD catalogue; image posted at the following website URL: http://spaceobs.org/images/TOCP/PSNJ16234592+0947123-20120719.png).