The rise of SN2014J in the nearby galaxy M82
  We report on the discovery of SN2014J in the nearby galaxy M82. Given its
proximity, it offers the best opportunity to date to study a thermonuclear
supernova over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. The first set of
optical, near-IR and mid-IR observations of SN2014J, orchestrated by the
intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF), show that SN2014J is a
spectroscopically normal Type Ia supernova, albeit exhibiting high-velocity
features in its spectrum and heavily reddened by dust in the host galaxy. Our
earliest detections start just hours after the fitted time of explosion. We use
high-resolution optical spectroscopy to analyze the dense intervening material
and do not detect any evolution in the resolved absorption features during the
lightcurve rise. Similarly to other highly reddened Type Ia supernovae, a low
value of total-to-selective extinction, Rv < 2, provides the best match to our
observations. We also study pre-explosion optical and near-IR images from HST
with special emphasis on the sources nearest to the SN location.
