VRIJHK photometry of SN 2002cv

SN 2002cv, not visible in the blue, has a total visual extinction of 8.74+/-0.21mag. In spite of this, we were able to obtain the light curves between 10 and +207d from the maximum in the I band, and also to follow the spectral evolution, deriving its key parameters.

We found the peak I-band brightness to be I_max_=16.57+/-0.10mag, the maximum absolute I magnitude to be M_max_I=18.79+/-0.20, and the parameter {delta}m15(B) specifying the width of the B-band light curve to be 1.46+/-0.17mag. The latter was derived using the relations between this parameter and {delta}m40(I) and the time-interval {delta}t_max_(I) between the two maxima in the I-band light curve. As has been found for previously observed, highly extinguished SNe Ia, a small value of 1.59+/-0.07 was obtained here for the ratio RV of the total-to-selective extinction ratio for SN 2002cv, which implies a small mean size for the grains along the line of sight towards us.