SN 1995al

SN 1995al in NGC3021

Position: 09 50 55.97   +33 33 09.4   [2000.0]

On the evening of 1995 November 1 we received a report of a possible SN seen on Nov 1.1UT 25" WSW of NGC 3021 in Leo Minor. The object, of mag 13.5, was apparently stationary during a two hour spell of observing suggesting an asteroidal identification was unlikely. The object was given the provisional TA designation Q1995/100. As the object was not on Palomar or Carnegie a request went out to TA observers to provide confirmation of the report. An Italian amateur, Stefano Pesci, was one of the discoverers and since he is a member of the UK Nova/Supernova Patrol confirmation by the TA team was a top priority. Observing with Pesci was Piero Mazza of Milan, Italy. The object was seen visually on Nov 1.1UT with a 0.35-m reflector.

On 1995 November 2 at 2.05am the editor received a phone call from Mark Amstrong reporting that he had imaged the object near NGC 3021. This is the image that he took on Nov 2.1UT with 0.25-m Schmidt Cassegrain and CCD. The Editor estimated the magnitude as 13.2 from an image file transferred by Mark.

The Palomar and Carnegie atlases are over-exposed in comparison with the Armstrong result and it was still difficult to tell if the object was new. At 21:09 on 1995 November 2 E1013 was issued announcing the object. At that time it was still uncertain as to whether this was a new object. An e-chart was issued on E1014 at 6am on November 3. Shortly after this E1015 was issued confirming the object and relaying the IAU designation SN 1995al. IAU circular 6255 states:

"S. Pesci and P. Mazza, Milan, Italy, report their visual discovery of an apparent supernova some 25" west-southwest of the centre of NGC 3021. On Nov. 1.04 UT, they estimated mv= 13.0-13.5, noting that no star appears at this position on the corresponding image in the Carnegie Atlas of Galaxies or on the Palomar Sky Survey... G. M. Hurst, Basingstoke, England, estimates mag 13.2 for SN 1995al from an unfiltered CCD image obtained by M. Armstrong (Rolvenden, U.K.) on Nov. 2.1."

CCD image as the SN fades. 1996 February 8.