Mario Hamuy and Miguel Roth, Carnegie Observatories, report that a spectrum
(range 360-900 nm) of SN 2003ho (cf. IAUC 8186), obtained on Sep. 7.04 UT
with the Las Campanas Clay 6.5-m telescope (+ LDSS-2), shows that this is
a normal Type II supernova characterized by a red continuum and broad
Balmer P-Cygni lines. The minimum of the H beta absorption yields an
expansion velocity of -5420 km/s (assuming the NED recession velocity
of 4265 km/s for the host galaxy), which suggests that the supernova
is probably one month old.