  We report a supernova discovery in Ks-band images from the NAOS CONICA
adaptive optics (AO) system on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT). The images
were obtained as part of a near-infrared search for highly-obscured supernovae
in the nuclear regions of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies. SN
2004ip is located within a circumnuclear starburst at 1.4 arcsec (or 500 pc)
projected distance from the K-band nucleus of the luminous infrared galaxy IRAS
18293-3413. The supernova luminosity and light curve are consistent with a
core-collapse event suffering from a host galaxy extinction of up to about 40
magnitudes in V-band which is as expected for a circumnuclear starburst
environment. This is the first supernova to be discovered making use of AO
correction and demonstrates the potential of the current 8-meter class
telescopes equipped with AO in discovering supernovae from the innermost
nuclear regions of luminous and ultraluminous infrared galaxies.
