Supernova 1997ea in an Anonymous Galaxy

The University of Texas McDonald Observatory Supernova Search Team (M. T. Adams, T. Montemayor, D. A. Howell, J. C. Wheeler, M. H. Ward, and W. Wren) report their discovery of a supernova (R about 19) on three Kron-Cousins R-band CCD images of Abell 595 (z = 0.0689) taken on Nov. 30.39-30.40 UT with the 0.76-m telescope. SN 1997ea is located at R.A. = 7h48m37s.70, Decl. = +52o13'22".8 (equinox 2000.0), which is about 9" east and 3" north of the nucleus of the apparent host elliptical galaxy. A finder chart is available at http://draco.as.utexas.edu/ward/sn2/sn.html, or by anonymous ftp from draco.as.utexas.edu. BVRI photometry of SN 1997ea was acquired on Dec. 3.22-3.45; it is not visible on R-band images (limiting R about 21) acquired on Oct. 30.41-30.43. P. Garnavich, S. Jha, P. Challis, and R. Kirshner, Harvard- Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, report that spectra of SN 1997ea were obtained with the Multiple Mirror Telescope on Dec. 5.4 UT and show that it is a type-Ia supernova, about 2 weeks past maximum. The recession velocity estimated from the broad features in the spectrum is about 19 500 km/s, consistent with the redshift of Abell 595.