Prieto, José L., Brimacombe, J., Drake, A.J., and Howerton, S. (2013) The 2012 rise of the remarkable type IIn SN 2009ip. Astrophysical Journal Letters, 763 (2). L27. pp. 1-5.

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Abstract

Recent observations by Mauerhan et al. have shown the unprecedented transition of the previously identified luminous blue variable (LBV) and supernova (SN) impostor SN 2009ip to a real Type IIn SN explosion. We present ~100 optical R- and I-band photometric measurements of SN 2009ip obtained between UT 2012 September 23.6 and October 9.6, using 0.3-0.4 m aperture telescopes from the Coral Towers Observatory in Cairns, Australia. The light curves show well-defined phases, including very rapid brightening early on (0.5 mag in 6 hr observed during the night of September 24), a transition to a much slower rise between September 25 and September 28, and a plateau/peak around October 7. These changes are coincident with the reported spectroscopic changes that most likely mark the start of a strong interaction between the fast SN ejecta and a dense circumstellar medium formed during the LBV eruptions observed in recent years. In the 16-day observing period, SN 2009ip brightened by 3.7 mag from I = 17.4 mag on September 23.6 (MI sime –14.2) to I = 13.7 mag (MI sime –17.9) on October 9.6, radiating ~3 × 1049 erg in the optical wavelength range. As of 2012 October 9.6, SN 2009ip is more luminous than most Type IIP SN and comparable to other Type IIn SN.

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