Supernova 2014df in NGC 1448 = Psn J03442399-4440081

L. A. G. Monard, Calitzdorp, Western Cape, South Africa, reports his discovery of a supernova (magnitude 14.0) on several unfiltered CCD images obtained on June 3.182 UT with 30- and 35-cm RCX400 telescopes at his Klein Karoo Observatory. The new object is located at R.A. = 3h44m23s.99, Decl. = -44d40'08".1 (equinox 2000.0; UCAC2 catalogue), which is 86" west and 86" south of the center of the Scd-type galaxy NGC 1448. The variable was designated PSN J03442399-4440081 when it was posted at the Central Bureau's TOCP webpage and is here designated SN 2014df based on the spectroscopic confirmation reported below. Additional CCD magnitudes for 2014df: June 4.801, V = 14.3 (R. Kneip, Luxembourg; using the T31 51-cm CDK telescope at Siding Spring; image posted at URL http://astrob.in/99910/0/); 6.186, 13.9 (Monard); 6.819, 14.7 (J. Brimacombe, Cairns, Australia; remotely using a 41-cm RCOS telescope + U9000 camera + luminance filter at the Warrumbungle Observatory, Siding Spring; position end figures 23s.99, 08".3; images posted at URL https://www.flickr.com/photos/43846774@N02/14363935265/); 7.162, 13.9 (Monard); 11.169, 14.0 (Monard); 17.176, 14.3 (Monard); 20.186, 14.4 (Monard); 25.832, 14.5 (H. Sato, Tokyo, Japan; using a 0.43-m f/6.8 astrograph + Luminance filter at Siding Spring; two stacked 60-s images; position end figures 24s.00, 08".3). M. Childress, G. Zhou, R. Scalzo, F. Yuan, B. Zhang, A. Ruiter, I. Seitenzahl, and B. Schmidt, Australian National University (ANU); and B. Tucker, ANU and University of California at Berkeley, report that spectroscopic classification of PSN J03442399-4440081 = 2014df was obtained on June 4.82 UT via a 15-min exposure with the Wide Field Spectrograph (cf. Dopita et al. 2007, Ap. Space Sci. 310, 255) on the ANU 2.3-m telescope at Siding Spring using the B3000/R3000 gratings (wavelength range 350-980 nm at 0.1-nm resolution). The spectrum indicates that 2014df is a type-Ib supernova a few days after maximum light. Classification with SNID (Blondin and Tonry 2007, Ap.J. 666, 1024) yields a best match to SN 2008D at phase +6 days at a redshift of z = 0.003, consistent with the redshift of the apparent host galaxy, NGC 1448 (z = 0.0039; Koribalski et al. 2004, A.J. 128, 16).