2003IAUC.8171....1E

R. Evans, Hazelbrook, N.S.W., reports his visual discovery of a supernova (mag 14.0) on July 29.75 UT with a 0.31-m reflector, noting it to be located about 20" southeast of the nucleus of NGC 936 (R.A. = 2h27m.6, Decl. = -1 09', equinox 2000.0); nothing was detected to mag 15 by Evans in a search of this galaxy on July 3.75. Evans again found SN 2003gs at m_v = 13.8 on July 30.75. H. Yamaoka, Kyushu University, reports red mag about 13.2 and the following precise position for SN 2003gs from an unfiltered CCD image taken on July 30.767 by T. Dobosz, Sydney, N.S.W.: R.A. = 2h27m38s.36, Decl. = -1 09'35".4 (equinox 2000.0; fourteen GSC 2.2 reference stars; fitting error about 0".3 in each coordinate), which is 13".4 east and 14".6 south of the center of NGC 936. N. Suntzeff, Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory (CTIO), reports that a spectrogram (range 350-900 nm; resolution 2 nm) of SN 2003gs was obtained by P. Candia and M. Stritzinger on July 30.4 with the facility spectrograph on the CTIO 1.5-m telescope. The spectrum is peculiar and is roughly consistent with a type-Ia supernova perhaps 1 week after maximum light; the Si II lines are redshifted by about 11000 km/s and are weak for this phase of the supernova. K. Krisciunas, CTIO, reports the following preliminary magnitudes for SN 2003gs from data obtained by J. Espinoza and D. Depoy with the CTIO 1.3-m telescope on July 30.40: U about 14.70, B about 14.05, V about 13.40.