A second supernova in as many years

Channel Hopper

Channel Hopper

Suffering fools, so you don't have to.
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Coming to prominence in under two weeks, constellation Ursa Major.

_http://www.astronomynow.com/news/n1108/26SN2/
 

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Getting (much) brighter, mag 12 yesterday and could reach 10 at the peak.

Weather for the UK for the next few days really isn't going to be good for viewing thanks to a US hurricane

_http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/08/supernova-explosion-visible-from-uk
 
Mag 10? And there I was hoping for a naked eye visible in the daytime supernova :D
 
Unlikely at 21 million lightyears away

Anyhow, a picture of the same galaxy five years ago, courtesy of Hubble (though the star in question is just out of shot).

I hope the operator has put another nickel in the slot for this weeks viewing.

Btw, to give a sense of perspective, the M101 galaxy is estimated to have at least 500,000,000,000 stars within its galaxial capture.

There are appriximately 20,000,000 granules of sugar in a kilo bag, so we are looking at 25 thousand bags of the stuff. Additionally, the light from the one grain has spent 21 million years travelling from there to here, still almost visible to the naked eye despite getting fainter over that time via the filtering through astral dust, stray atoms of anysorts, alien intervention and of course the dark matter.
 

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Sorry my fault, left the “Dark Matter” reactor on at one of the summer cottages last time I was there, won’t happen again.

Side note:

The last super nova to be seen by the naked eye during the day (magnitude -17) was the one that created the “Crab Nebula” back in 1054 AD, it’s at about 6500 light years away, anything closer would be a bit dangerous to us.

I don’t want to have to wear my lead lined suit all the time, it’s too heavy.
 
Well, it's more interesting than a Vauxhall Nova... :D
 
Terryl said:
I don’t want to have to wear my lead lined suit all the time, it’s too heavy.
Click to expand...

Luckily I always wear the foil underpants.
 
I always wear my foil hat, so does my dog.
 
Levelling off at just under mag 10

_http://www.aavso.org/lcg/plot?auid=000-BKD-525&starname=SN%202011FE&lastdays=28&start=&stop=2455823.71146&obscode=&obscode_symbol=2&obstotals=yes&calendar=calendar&forcetics=&grid=on&visual=on&r=on&bband=on&v=on&pointsize=1&width=900&height=600&mag1=&mag2=&mean=&vmean=
 

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Shame - thats very faint - well below naked eye magnitude
 
Been up on the roof tonight since the clouds have dispersed for the time being (bit windy though).

Whilst the two stars Mizar and Alcor appear really bright in the binoculars, there is not a peep of anything from M101.

So magnitude 10 really isn't ideal for the amateur.
 
Mag 10 is very very faint.

Ive just been out for a look as well, but Im hindered by a bright moon and scudding clouds. No chance with the moon being so bright. :(
 
Funnily enough, SWMBO has just commented on the brightness of the moon, so I've also had a look and it certainly Mars the view of the Plough.
 
This looks like a good way to get you all out from behind the keyboards and breathing some fresh air (sometimes) I took the old telescope out and saw just a bright dot, couldn't find the CCD camera for it, I will have to dig in the closet for that hummer later.
 
Unortunately, it's brilliance didn't quite reach the masses, but it is some 124471232936855567000 miles away.

You can see it here though

_http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/supernova.html#2011fe

and I suppose once the large telescopes have had a long gander at that patch of space there will be some decent colour shots in the offering.
 
But it still got you out of that dank basement and outside looking.....Didn't it...Just think what would go on if one like they saw back in 1054 happened, it was visible during the day, Mag -17) every 2012 nut in the world would be running around like a chicken with their heads cut off.
 
A supernova within our own galaxy is supposedly long overdue, Betelgeuse is apparently on its way.

What's a '2012 nut' ?
 
Given the current-day parlance, a "2012 nut" would sound like a mass-masturbation event..... :blink:
 
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