2012CBET.3217....3B

S. Benetti, L. Tomasella, E. Cappellaro, A. Pastorello, M. Turatto, and S. Valenti, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, report that a spectrogram of PSN J22440166+1551493 = SN 2012em, obtained on Sept. 10.95 UT with the 1.82-m Copernico telescope (+ Afosc spectrograph; range 350-820 nm, resolution 1.3 nm), shows it to be a peculiar type-Ia supernova. Adopting for the host galaxy (PGC 69614) a redshift z = 0.038073 (Kochanek et al. 2001, Ap.J. 560, 566; via NED), comparison with a library of supernova spectra via GELATO (Harutyuyan et al. 2008, A.Ap. 488, 383) shows that 2012em is a type-Ia event similar to several sub-luminous type-Ia supernovae (1991bg-like) around maximum light. The expansion velocity measured from the Si II 635.5-nm minimum is about 10100 km/s.