SN 2001bq

A new object was found on May 17.587 UT by K. Itagaki when it was mag 15.9 (CCD). The position is about 28" east and 2" north of the "nucleus" of the spiral galaxy NGC 5534. SN 2001bq is superimposed on an interacting companion. The KAIT team reports the prediscovery magnitudes as mag about 16.0 on May 10.3 and about 15.3 on May 14.3, and M. Schwartz reports that it was below mag about 19.5 on Apr. 29.3. These magnitudes suggest that SN 2001bq was not a old object at discovery, probably near (or before) its maximum light. Assuming that the resession velocity of the host galaxy, the expected maximum of the typical SN Ia is about 14.5 (vsnet-campaign-sn 193).