What caused the recent supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter swampwiz
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Galaxy Supernova
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The recent supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) has been a significant event for amateur astronomers, particularly highlighted by an amateur astronomer who unknowingly captured the supernova's light curve. This supernova, which occurred 21 million years ago, is the closest observed in a decade, providing a unique opportunity for imaging and analysis. The discussion emphasizes the importance of color balance and exposure settings in astrophotography, as these factors can help in identifying unusual celestial events like supernovae.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of astrophotography techniques, including exposure settings and color balance.
  • Familiarity with light curve measurement in astronomy.
  • Knowledge of the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) and its significance in astronomical studies.
  • Experience with imaging equipment and software used for capturing celestial events.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research techniques for measuring light curves in supernova observations.
  • Explore advanced astrophotography methods for color balance and exposure adjustments.
  • Study the historical significance of supernovae in galaxies, focusing on M101.
  • Learn about the latest imaging equipment and software for amateur astronomers.
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, amateur astronomers, astrophotographers, and anyone interested in capturing and analyzing supernova events.

Astronomy news on Phys.org
Holy cow, I've been working on imaging that galaxy while experimenting with my equipment. Weather didn't cooperate last night, bit I was planning to try again tonight. Discovering a supernova would be awesome, but I'm not sure I would notice, lol.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: DennisN and Astronuc
On second thought, there's a decent chance I would have noticed. One of the issues I was working on/experimenting with is color balance/exposures. My result is below (similar orientation as the discovery photo), which has some weird color artifacts in overexposed stars. Since I was working on that and since I shot different colors on different days, I likely would have noticed an oddly colored star, showing up in red and green but not blue, for example.

M101-LRGB 2023-04-13.jpg


And here's a clip of a single subframe I just took with a different scope, with the supernova still visible/circled:

Supernova.jpg
 
Last edited:
Reply
  • Like
  • Love
Likes   Reactions: pinball1970, DAH, berkeman and 2 others
So, are you going to measure the light curve?
 

Similar threads

High School Did Astronomers Really Think the Milky Way Was the Only Galaxy in 1900?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
High School Observing the new supernova in Ursa Major (M101, pinwheel galaxy)
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
10K
High School Supernova Ejection: How Large Are the Chunks?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K
Undergrad We watched a red supergiant explode to ordinary type II supernova
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Undergrad SN 2019hgp, new type of supernova? Wolf-Rayet progenitor?
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
2K
Graduate Supernova prediction: SN Refsdal
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Undergrad Galaxy MoM-z14 - furthest observed object
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
1K
High School Pair Instability Supernovae & Electron Capture Supernovae
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Stargazing What is the difference between a type IIP and type IIL supernova?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
High School Galaxy Database with distances from Earth
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K