Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jan 22, 2014 16:56:48 GMT -6
A Bright SuperNova in M82
22 January 2014
An animation showing a comparison between the confirmation image of supernova in M82 by the team from the Remanzacco Observatory and archive image by a
2-meter telescope FTN – LCOGT from November 22, 2013. Click on the image for a larger version. Credit: E. Guido, N. Howes, M. Nicolini.
Although not a naked-eye event, those with telescopes and binoculars can scan for the M82 edge-on spiral galaxy and try to pick out the Supernova - which should be within visual range of city dwellers...
22 January 2014
A brand new SuperNova has been imaged within the last two days and it's a bright one...!
The irregular Cigar Galaxy, M82...in the Big Dipper area - has a new event.
Designated for now, "PSN J09554214+6940260", this Type 1a dwarf star has supernovaed, taking any solar system it may have had with it. Brightening up to a magnitude of +11.7... spectrographs show that it could get brighter - perhaps a +8 or +6.. With at least a 4" telescope, Chicago Astronomers and fans get get a glimpse of a star's last moments, some 12, 000,000 light years away - relatively close within our astronomical neighborhood. The Supernova event is expanding at a rate of 12,427.424 miles per hour and may flare-up again at any given moment. M82 had two recent Supernova events - 2004 & 2008 - but not nearly as bright as this recent event. (Neighbor M81 had a Supernova in 1993 - SN 1993 J)
The discovery was made two weeks ago by students at the University of London Observatory, punching through the light pollution of the city...
The irregular Cigar Galaxy, M82...in the Big Dipper area - has a new event.
Designated for now, "PSN J09554214+6940260", this Type 1a dwarf star has supernovaed, taking any solar system it may have had with it. Brightening up to a magnitude of +11.7... spectrographs show that it could get brighter - perhaps a +8 or +6.. With at least a 4" telescope, Chicago Astronomers and fans get get a glimpse of a star's last moments, some 12, 000,000 light years away - relatively close within our astronomical neighborhood. The Supernova event is expanding at a rate of 12,427.424 miles per hour and may flare-up again at any given moment. M82 had two recent Supernova events - 2004 & 2008 - but not nearly as bright as this recent event. (Neighbor M81 had a Supernova in 1993 - SN 1993 J)
The discovery was made two weeks ago by students at the University of London Observatory, punching through the light pollution of the city...
An animation showing a comparison between the confirmation image of supernova in M82 by the team from the Remanzacco Observatory and archive image by a
2-meter telescope FTN – LCOGT from November 22, 2013. Click on the image for a larger version. Credit: E. Guido, N. Howes, M. Nicolini.
Although not a naked-eye event, those with telescopes and binoculars can scan for the M82 edge-on spiral galaxy and try to pick out the Supernova - which should be within visual range of city dwellers...
The position of this galaxy is in a great location now and easy for Astronomers to slew scopes and instruments to. High up in the north at 8pm, the Supernova is pretty much inbetween the North Star, (Polaris) and the Big Dipper's star "Dubhe". For those who wish to look for this massive stellar event, polar align your scopes and either punch in "M82" on your computerized mounts...or scan the area just off the Big Dipper Star "Dubhe". Look for two little fuzzy cotton-ball patches and the smaller one will be M82. Use a wide field eyepiece to locate the the galaxy pair, then kick up the magnification and seek out the exploded star.
This will make for a good photoimagng target to capture the high energy photons in our cameras and imaging gear. On the next clear Chicago night, I will make an attempt to image this cataclysmic event in our neighbor galaxy.
This will make for a good photoimagng target to capture the high energy photons in our cameras and imaging gear. On the next clear Chicago night, I will make an attempt to image this cataclysmic event in our neighbor galaxy.