SN2001eb – discovery

Tom Boles

SN2001eb in NGC 1589, discovered 2001 August 29. IAU Circular 7701 : G.M. Hurst, Basingstoke, England, reports the discovery by T. Boles (Coddenham, Suffolk, England) of an apparent supernova (mag. 16.3) on a single unfiltered CCD image taken (limiting mag. about 18.0) on Aug. 29.132 UT in the course of the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol with a 0.36-m Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. SN2001eb is located at RA 4h 30m 45s.10, Dec +0º 52' 7".9 (equinox 2000.0), which is 7" west and 28" north of the center of NGC 1589. The new object is embedded in the spiral arms and therefore appears slightly diffuse. In response to an appeal from The Astronomer group, D. Balam, (Victoria, BC, Canada) imaged the suspect on Aug. 30.509 with the 1.82-m Plaskett telescope, reporting that the brightness appeared similar to that found by Boles. Boles adds that the object is missing from his master image of 1999 Feb. 17 (limiting mag. 17.5) and from second Palomar Sky Survey images taken in 1990 (red, limiting mag. 19.5) and 1991 (blue, limiting mag. 19.5). Hurst also notes that SN2001eb is not present on an image of this galaxy shown in Vickers’ Deep Space CCD Atlas: North (1993, p.43; limiting mag. about 18).