Suspected supernova in UGC 10318 – confirmed SN 2014ax

Update 2014 May 8: This was confirmed to be of type IIP, and given designation SN 2014ax. This is Tom’s 155th supernova discovery.

BAA member Tom Boles (Coddenham, England) has reported the discovery of an apparent supernova (mag 17.6) on unfiltered CCD images taken on May 03.972 and 4.943 with a 0.35-m reflector.  The new object is located at R.A. =16h16m18s.16, Decl. = +64o06’06”.3, which is approximately 2″.0 east and 2″.7 south of the center of UGC 10318.

Nothing is present at this position on Boles’s images from 2013 Jul 17 and May 02 (limiting mag 19.5) or on Digitised Sky Survey Plates from 1991-05-31 (limiting red mag 20.5), and 1988-03-24 (limiting blue mag 21.0).

Observers are urged to make follow-up observations of UGC 10318 and submit them to the Deep Sky and Variable Star Sections to help verify Tom’s discovery. We will post more information as soon as it is available. Tom’s discovery images are shown below:

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