We present well sampled optical ( UBVRI ) and infrared ( JHK ) light curves of the nearby ( \approx 18.0 Mpc ) Type Ia supernova SN 2001el , from 11 days before to 142 days after the time of B -band maximum .
The data represent one of the best sets of optical and infrared photometry ever obtained for a Type Ia supernova .
Based on synthetic photometry using optical spectra of SN 2001el and optical and infrared spectra of SN 1999ee , we were able to devise filter corrections for the BVJHK photometry of SN 2001el which to some extent resolve systematic differences between SN 2001el datasets obtained with different telescope/filter/instrument combinations .
We also calculated V minus infrared color curves on the basis of a delayed detonation model and showed that the theoretical color curves match the unreddened loci for Type Ia SNe with mid-range decline rates to within 0 \fm 2 .
Given the completeness of the light curves and the elimination of filter-oriented systematic errors to some degree , the data presented here will be useful for the construction of photometric templates , especially in the infrared .
On the whole the photometric behavior of SN 2001el was quite normal .
The second H -band maximum being brighter than the first H -band maximum is in accord with the prediction of Krisciunas et al .
( 2000 ) for Type Ia SNe with mid-range decline rates .
The photometry exhibits non-zero host extinction , with total A _ { V } = 0.57 \pm 0.05 mag along the line of sight .
NGC 1448 , the host of SN 2001el , would be an excellent target for a distance determination using Cepheids .