A BRIGHT SUPERNOVA IN THE NEARBY GALAXY NGC 2403 (STScI-PRC04-23)

Henry wrote:
"INBOX ASTRONOMY: NEWS ALERT" wrote in message
...
FOR RELEASE: 9:00 am (EDT) September 2, 2004

PHOTO NO.: STScI-PRC04-23


A BRIGHT SUPERNOVA IN THE NEARBY GALAXY NGC 2403


Presumably as it is in another galaxy that "bright" is a relative term and
that it is beyond simple viewing equipment (bins for example)

Relative, yes, but it is the brightest in several years. Not a
binocular object unless you have some of those 125mm giants,
but it's probably still within resch of a 6-inch telescope from
most sites. Maurice Gavin even got a nice spectrum with an 8-inch
instrument. at http://home.freeuk.com/m.gavin/2004dj.htm.

Bill Keel

Check this out:

" And yet, this supernova, called SN 2004dj,
resides far beyond our galaxy. Its home is in the outskirts of NGC 2403,
a galaxy located 11 million light-years from Earth. Although the
supernova is far from Earth, it is the closest stellar explosion
discovered in more than a decade. This image was taken on Aug. 17, two
weeks after an amateur astronomer discovered the supernova.
"

So, who discovered this supernova???

jon

William C. Keel wrote:

Henry wrote:

"INBOX ASTRONOMY: NEWS ALERT" wrote in message
...

FOR RELEASE: 9:00 am (EDT) September 2, 2004

PHOTO NO.: STScI-PRC04-23


A BRIGHT SUPERNOVA IN THE NEARBY GALAXY NGC 2403



Presumably as it is in another galaxy that "bright" is a relative term and
that it is beyond simple viewing equipment (bins for example)


Relative, yes, but it is the brightest in several years. Not a
binocular object unless you have some of those 125mm giants,
but it's probably still within resch of a 6-inch telescope from
most sites. Maurice Gavin even got a nice spectrum with an 8-inch
instrument. at http://home.freeuk.com/m.gavin/2004dj.htm.

Bill Keel

Yes, it was easy target in 8" about a month ago. I guess it would
be accessible to 4" too from a good site and with some care.

What I don't understand is why old information like this goes out
as a "NEWS ALERT" (even in capital letters). That's OK, but it got
me for a second: "Ah, another bright one!", and I was a bit
disappointed when I figured it out...

- Alex

Alexander Avtanski wrote:

What I don't understand is why old information like this goes out
as a "NEWS ALERT" (even in capital letters). That's OK, but it got
me for a second: "Ah, another bright one!", and I was a bit
disappointed when I figured it out...


A couple of weeks ago a (non-astronomer)friend emailed me the news of
the close approach of Mars in August. He was chagrined when I told him
he was almost exactly a year late :-)

Phil

"Phil Wheeler" wrote in message
...


Alexander Avtanski wrote:

What I don't understand is why old information like this goes out
as a "NEWS ALERT" (even in capital letters). That's OK, but it got
me for a second: "Ah, another bright one!", and I was a bit
disappointed when I figured it out...


A couple of weeks ago a (non-astronomer)friend emailed me the news of
the close approach of Mars in August. He was chagrined when I told him
he was almost exactly a year late :-)

Phil

My sister called me Monday wanting to confirm something about Mars. She
told me what her her hair dresser told her - the same thing your friend did.
Maybe there's something going round on a web site or forum somewhere(?).
--
Michael A. Barlow

Different people have posted:

Presumably as it is in another galaxy that "bright" is a relative term and
that it is beyond simple viewing equipment (bins for example)


Relative, yes, but it is the brightest in several years. Not a
binocular object unless you have some of those 125mm giants,
but it's probably still within resch of a 6-inch telescope from
most sites. Maurice Gavin even got a nice spectrum with an 8-inch
instrument. at http://home.freeuk.com/m.gavin/2004dj.htm.


Yes, it was easy target in 8" about a month ago. I guess it would
be accessible to 4" too from a good site and with some care.

If memory serves me well, not too long ago I read that the supernova had a
magnitude of around 11 or so which shouldn't make it that tough even for
the more modest of amateur scopes given dark skies and good seeing.


--
Martin
"Photographs From the Universe of Amateur Astronomy"
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinhowell

Alexander Avtanski wrote:


William C. Keel wrote:

Henry wrote:

....snip...

Presumably as it is in another galaxy that "bright" is a relative term and
that it is beyond simple viewing equipment (bins for example)


Relative, yes, but it is the brightest in several years. Not a
binocular object unless you have some of those 125mm giants,
but it's probably still within resch of a 6-inch telescope from
most sites. Maurice Gavin even got a nice spectrum with an 8-inch
instrument. at http://home.freeuk.com/m.gavin/2004dj.htm.

Bill Keel

Yes, it was easy target in 8" about a month ago. I guess it would
be accessible to 4" too from a good site and with some care.

What I don't understand is why old information like this goes out
as a "NEWS ALERT" (even in capital letters). That's OK, but it got
me for a second: "Ah, another bright one!", and I was a bit
disappointed when I figured it out...

- Alex

I gather the "news" was release of the picture - all the Hubble "inbox"
press release are headed the same way. I happened to be at
Kitt Peak a few weeks back and took a few spectra for Alex Filippenko.
A 30-second exposure took H-alpha to the guaranteed-linear bright
limit of the detector... and Maurice Gavin's site pointed to
the most useful ID chart I could find.

Bill Keel

Alexander Avtanski wrote in message ...

What I don't understand is why old information like this goes out
as a "NEWS ALERT" (even in capital letters).

STScI always does this. I guess no one ever told them that it makes
their messages look like trolls/spam.

Once i recognize who posts the message, my hackles go down.


Clear skies!

--
------------------- Richard Callwood III --------------------
~ U.S. Virgin Islands ~ USDA zone 11 ~ 18.3N, 64.9W ~
~ eastern Massachusetts ~ USDA zone 6 (1992-95) ~
--------------- http://cac.uvi.edu/staff/rc3/ ---------------

"William C. Keel" wrote in message news:413757c7

EDIT

Presumably as it is in another galaxy that "bright" is a relative term and
that it is beyond simple viewing equipment (bins for example)

Relative, yes, but it is the brightest in several years. Not a
binocular object unless you have some of those 125mm giants,
but it's probably still within resch of a 6-inch telescope from
most sites. Maurice Gavin even got a nice spectrum with an 8-inch
instrument. at http://home.freeuk.com/m.gavin/2004dj.htm.

Bill Keel

I've had good views of SN 2004dj through a 14.5" Starmaster on three
occasions during the past few weeks. It's one of the brightest
supernovae that I've ever observed.

Dave Mitsky