Supernovae
Normally individual stars cannot be discerned in distant galaxies. The galaxies are simply too far away. But, when a massive star ends its life in a supernova explosion, for a short time it shines brighter than the whole galaxy and becomes visible. These images show such cases.
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Supernova in galaxy NGC 4666 - Discovered on December 9, 2014 by the All Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASASSN) at a magnitude of about 14, this stellar explosion resulted from the sudden collapse of a white dwarf star that caused a thermonuclear runaway. NGC 4666 is a spiral galaxy about 80 million light-years away in the constellation,Virgo.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/7 with Starizona SCT corrector Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Starlight Xpress OAG with Meade DSI using PHD2 Exposure: 3 X 30 minutes = 1.5 hrs |
Supernova in Messier 106 - Designated as SN 2014bc, this supernova was discovered by PanSTARRS on May 21, 2014. This image was taken on May 25. The supernova is very near the core of M106 and had a magnitude of 13.5 when discovered. Spectroscopic studies by Virtual Telescope show it to be a Type II supernova. Such a supernova results from the collapse and explosion of a very massive star in its final stage of development.
Telescope: Meade 8" LX200R @ f/7 with an Astro-Physics 0.67X telecompressor Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Starlight Xpress OAG with Meade DSI using PHD2 Exposure: 10 X 15 minutes = 2.5 hrs |
Messier 82 with Supernova SN 2014J - This supernova in the very active galaxy, M82, was discovered on 1/21/2014, the day before we arrived in Chiefland, so this quick shot was a must. It was discovered by accident by astronomer Steve Fossey at University College London who was teaching some undergraduate students how to use a CCD camera and used M82 as a target for the lesson. At the time of its discovery (and of this image) the brightness of the supernova was about magnitude 11.5. Its brighness peaked on or about 2/1/2014 at magnitude 10.5. M82 is only about 11.5 million light-years away, so this is one of the closest supernovae in the past 50 years.
Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/7 with Starizona SCT corrector Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Starlight Xpress OAG with Meade DSI using PHD2 Exposure: 2 X 30 minutes = 1 hr |
Supernova in NGC 2207 - On March 1, 2013 a French-Australian group announced the discovery of a supernova candidate in the spiral galaxy, NGC 2207, which is about 80 million light-years away. The brightening of a star was immediately confirmed by others. This image was made on March 14, 2013 clearly shows a star where none is evident in an image made several years ago.
Note: This supernova was eventually designated SN 2013ai. Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/5 with Optec 0.5X reducer/corrector Camera: SBIG ST-2000XM Exposures: L = 60 min |
NGC 1365 - This barred spiral galaxy is 56 million light-years away in Fornax. It is the largest member of the Fornax galaxy cluster and has been well studied because of its prominent bar connecting the core with long tenuous arms. It is thought that the bar serves as a channel to direct material towards the central black hole. The bar is also a region of intense star formation. There are a number of smaller, background galaxies in this image.
Thanks go to Bill Williams, who noted that supernova SN2102fr is visible in this image. It is the lower, and dimmer, of the two stars visible just above the galactic core. SN2012fr was discovered in late October of 2012 and reached its peak brightness of magnitude 12 in mid-Novermber. It was about magnitude 14.6 when this image was taken in mid-January, 2013. Update 2/27/2013 - Astronomers announced that using NASA's recently launched X-ray telescope, NuStar, and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray telescope, the first definitive measurement of the spin of a supermassive black hole has been made. The black hole at the center of NGC 1365 is rotating at very near the limit allowed by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/2 with Hyperstar 3 Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Orion ST-80 with Meade DSI using PHD Exposure: 32 X 5 minutes = 2 hr 40 min |
M95 with supernova,SN2012aw, M96 and the glow of Mars - A wide-field view of M95 and M96, the galaxies on the right and left, respectvely, was on my imaging list, but I got the unexpected treat of being able to image a supernova (SN2012aw) in M95 just 6 days after its discovery. The supernova was 13th magnitude at the time this image was made. Reflections caused by Mars, which was very bright and just out of the field of view, gives an artistic appearance to this image.
M95 is about 38 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It is a barred spiral with ring of star-forming gas clouds circling its core. It is a member of the M96 group of galaxies. M96 is about 31 million light-years away, also in the constellation Leo and is the brightest member of the M96 group. It is a spiral galaxy with a core that is displaced from its center, probably by interaction with a nearby galaxy. Telescope: Meade 14" LX200GPS @ f/2 with Hyperstar 3 Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Orion ST-80 with Meade DSI using PHD Exposure: 24 X 5 minutes = 2 hrs. |
Supernova in M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) - A supernova in M51, now designated SN2011dh, was discovered on May 31, 2011 by several amateur astronomers. The magnitude at that time was estimated to be 14.0. I made this image on June 6 when the magnitude was estmated to be 13.8. Initial indications are that this is a Type II supernova, an explosion that results from the collapse of a massive star whose nuclear fusion reactions can no longer support it against its own weight. Such a star must be at least 9 times as massive as our sun.
M51 is 35 million light-years away in Canes Venatici. A smaller companion galaxy, NGC 5195, seen above M51 in this image, is partially obscured by the dust in one of M51's arms. The gravitational interaction of the two is evident from the gas and dust spewing from NGC 5195. It is believed that the prominent spiral arms in M51 are due to tidal forces from NGC 5195. There are many hot, young blue stars in the arms of M51 and well as reddish star-forming regions. In the distant future these two galaxies will merge. Telescope: Meade 8" LX200R @ f/5 with 2" Antares 0.5X reducer Camera: SBIG ST-8300C Autoguiding: Orion ST-80 with Meade DSI using PHD Exposures: 18 X 10 min = 3 hrs. |
SN2009jf in NGC 7479 - This supernova in NGC 7479 in Pegasus was discovered September 27, 2009 by Lick Observatory. It was magnitude 18 at that time and has brightened to magnitude 15 at the time of this image on October 13. Astronomers at Lick determined it to be type 1b; progenitors of this type are thought to be Wolf-Rayet stars, very hot, massive stars with strong stellar winds. NGC 7479 is about 100 million light-years from earth. This luminance image is a 75 minute exposure through thin clouds.
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