Hi all,
Much has changed since I presented the above information, which is now pretty much outdated along with some of the links having changed or no longer available.
In short CBAT have changed the way in which Possible Supernova are reported. The suspect object is now noted as PSN- Possible SuperNova and given a PSN number as you will see in the link
http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/snimages/
The PSN will not be given an official designation i.e SN2008fa (a type 1a event) until a spectra has been taken confirming that it is indeed a Supernova. The new process makes a lot of sense with many new suspects coming from the likes of Galaxy Zoo etc.
I will present more on the new process a little later (soon.... after BOSS next discovery and we actually use the system) but in short there are several processes to follow starting with checking the Transient Objects Confirmation Page and The Confirmed Transient Objects Page see-
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/tocp.html
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/unconf/tocp_old.html
New links also for -
CBAT (Central Bureau Astronomical Telegrams)
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/
MPC (Minor Planet Centre)
http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/
PeterM