Happy 25th annniversary, Supernova 1987A!

Supernova Remnant is an Unusual Suspect

A new image from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory shows a supernova remnant with a different look. This object, known as SNR 0104-72.3 (SNR 0104 for short), is in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a small neighboring galaxy to the Milky Way. Astronomers think that SNR 0104 is the remains of a so-called Type Ia supernova caused by the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf.

In this composite made of X-rays from Chandra shown in purple and infrared data from Spitzer shown in green and red, SNR 0104 looks unlike other likely Type Ia remnants found in our own Galaxy. While objects such as the Keplerand Tycho supernova remnants appear circular, the shape of SNR 0104 in X-rays is not. Instead, the image is dominated by two bright lobes of emission (seen to the upper right and lower left). The large amount of iron in these lobes indicates that SNR 0104 was likely formed by a Type Ia supernova.

One possible explanation for this structure is that the explosion of the white dwarf itself was strongly asymmetrical and produced two jets of iron. Another possibility is that the complicated environment seen in the image is responsible. The green shells on the left and right side of SNR 0104 correspond to surrounding material that has been swept up by the explosion. So, the unusual shape of the remnant might be caused by a lack of material to the north and south of the star to interrupt the outward path of the stellar debris. This explanation, however, is still in question and scientists hope more data from Chandra and other telescopes will help settle the debate.

The presence of a nearby massive star and the shells of gas and dust seen in the wide-field view from Spitzer shows that SNR 0104 might be located within a star-forming region. This suggests that SNR 0104 may belong to a little-studied class of so-called “prompt” Type Ia supernovas caused by the demise of younger, more massive stars than average. Again, more data will be needed to test this theory.

Credit X-ray (NASA/CXC/Penn State/S.Park & J.Lee); IR (NASA/JPL-Caltech)Scale Full field image is 32.4 arcmin acrossCategory Supernovas & Supernova RemnantsCoordinates (J2000) RA 01h 05m 51.8s | Dec -72° 03’ 38.1”Constellation TucanaObservation Date January 27, 2008Observation Time 15 hours 20 minutesObs. ID 9100Color Code X-ray (Purple); IR (Green, Red)Instrument ACISDistance Estimate About 190,000 light years (in the SMC)Release Date June 09, 2009

Supernova update: it’s peaking now!

A couple of weeks ago, astronomers spotted a star exploding in the nearby face-on spiral M101. They quickly determined it was a Type Ia, the kind used to calibrate the cosmic distance scale, and therefore a star of exceeding importance: we don’t see them close by (well, if 20+ million light years is “close”, which it is to astronomers) very often. This one promised to get bright enough to study extremely well, which will help us understand these “standard candles” better.

Astronomers at Oxford University got a great shot of the galaxy and exploding star this week using a telescope located in California…

The supernova is labeled. It was found by the Palomar Transient Factory, a group of folks looking for nearby supernovae, and was given the temporary name PTF 11kly; the official designation is SN 2011fe, the 136th supernova seen so far in 2011 (they’re named alphabetically for a given year, so the first 26 are 2011a – z, the second 26 are 2011ba – bz, etc.). This image was taken using a 0.8 meter telescope at the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network; that’s a relatively small ‘scope, which tells you this a pretty bright object!

…

In fact, it appears to be reaching its peak brightness right now, and should be visible in binoculars. If you have a good view of Ursa Major, currently in the northwest at sunset, finding it shouldn’t be too difficult. Any decent star chart will show it (here’s one on wikipedia, for example). It’s raining here in Boulder (figures) but I’m hoping to get a chance to see it with my binoculars soon. Supernovae usually brighten for a couple of weeks and then fade more slowly, so if you can’t see it tonight or tomorrow it’s not critical, but of course the sooner you look the better.

Image credit: BJ Fulton/LCOGT. Tip o’ the accreting white dwarf to Dan Vergano (you should follow him on Twitter for lots of sciencey updates).

These images show Type Ia supernova PTF 11kly, the youngest ever detected—over the past three nights. The left image taken on August 22 shows the event before it exploded supernova, approximately 1 million times fainter than the human eye can detect. The center image taken on August 23 shows the supernova at about 10,000 times fainter than the human eye can detect. The right image taken on August 24 shows that the event is 6 times brighter than the previous day. In two weeks time it should be visible with a good pair of binoculars.

Catch the Supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy

If you haven’t yet seen the “new star” in one of our favorite galaxies, M51 in Ursa Major, I encourage you to do so on the next clear night. The supernova erupted in the Whirlpool Galaxy on May 31 and was first observed by French amateur astronomer Amédée Riou. A German astronomer, Thomas Griga, confirmed the observation the next day and soon thereafter the supernova, the third in M51 in the past 17 years, was widely known among astronomers. 

The supernova, designated SN 2011dh, currently glows at about 14th magnitude, making a reasonably sized amateur instrument - a scope in the 10- to 12-inch range - necessary to see it. Imaging the supernova can be done with a much smaller telescope, of course. 
The galaxy lies about 26 million light-years away, meaning the star actually exploded roughly 26 million years ago and that we are just seeing the flash of light now. It’s a relatively rare event in such a bright and well-known galaxy, and I encourage you to check it out. 

I am posting two spectacular photos of the galaxy and the new supernova: a color shot that is quite breathtaking, and a reference image in black and white that shows the supernova’s position. Enjoy!

Color Image: Photo Credit: R. Jay GaBany

Black and White Image: Photo Credit: Anthony Ayiomamatis

[via astronomy.com]

Texas astronomers find super-luminous supernova

Research reveals that Supernova 2008am is the brightest “self-interacting” supernova discovered.
By McDonald Observatory at University of Texas, Austin

Astronomers led by Emmanouil “Manos” Chatzopoulos and J. Craig Wheeler from The University of Texas at Austin have found another extremely bright, rare supernova to add to the new class of exploding stars that University of Texas astronomers identified a few years ago. Supernova 2008am is one of the most intrinsically bright exploding stars ever observed. The team’s research reveals that this supernova is the brightest “self-interacting” supernova discovered. In this type of stellar explosion, the extreme brightness is caused by interaction between the explosion shock wave and a shell of material previously expelled from the star.

Supernova 2008am is 3.7 billion light-years away. At its peak luminosity, it was over 100 billion times brighter than the Sun. It emitted enough energy in one second to satisfy the power needs of the United States for one million times longer than the universe has existed. In-depth studies of this supernova are helping the team understand the science behind this new class of exploding stars.

[click for rest of the article]