A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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Apollo XX
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A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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SuperNova SN2014J in galaxy Messier 82 in Ursa Major is still a visual object for relatively small telescopes. This is a rare thing. The vast majority of supernova discoveries are in very distant galaxies and are very dim, putting them far out of reach of a small telescope, at least visually. I speak of the visual experience because I feel there is something special to actually seeing an object in your eyepiece. Images are great, but the presence of seeing it in real-time cannot be replaced. I think a good analogy would be to consider the experience of looking at pictures of a party where you know everybody but you couldn't be there. It's just not the same.

SN2014J peaked recently at magnitude 10.5, putting it within reach of a 3" telescope under dark skies. The supenova has begun to dim, and is now approaching mag 11. This is still within reach of a reasonably small telescope, but the encroaching moon will pose new challenges to seeing it. For those of us that star-hop to objects, the difficulty won't be so much in seeing the supernova, but in finding the galaxy in the not quite so dark sky. Those who use go-to or setting circles will have an easier time of it. Either way, the thrill of seeing something so special in the eyepiece is well worth the effort.

As of right now it looks like the next best chance to see SN2014J will be this coming Thursday, the 6th of February. The forecast is for clear skies, but also cold. Don't let that deter you though. You won't have to be out that long. The moon will be at exactly 1st quarter, which means that it's presence will be felt. If there's any moisture in the air it will diffuse the moonlight far and wide. However this is winter, and there's a good chance that the air will be very dry. The moon will also be on nearly the opposite side of the sky from M82, thus giving you a little break at least.

To find M82, you just need to be able to see the Big Dipper. In the image below, the lower right star in the bowl of the dipper is Phecda, and the upper left star is Dubhe. If you draw an imaginary straight line from Phecda to Dubhe and then continue straight on that line for the equivalent distance to that between the stars you'll be right in the neighborhood. Slowly panning that area with your lowest power eyepiece should net you success.
Image
Image courtesy of Sky and Telescope.

To see how bright the supernova currently is, here is a link to the latest light curve data from the AAVSO: http://www.aavso.org/lcg/plot?auid=000- ... an=&vmean=

And remember, if you don't meet with success in your quest to see the SN2014J, you can at least swing over to the moon and enjoy the highly detailed terminator of the waxing moon!

Get out there and good luck!

Mike M.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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Apollo XX
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Re: A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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Folks, the supernova is slowly dimming and is beginning to approach visual Mag 11.5 according to the latest atrometric data from the AAVSO website. http://www.aavso.org/apps/webobs/result ... %2B6940260 It's still a good object for small to medium scopes, though it's getting bit more challenging for apertures of less than 8". Finding the galaxy in my 4.5" reflector at 48x, SN2014J is not visible, whereas three weeks ago it was easy at 36x. Bumping up the power to 108x and it's now visible, part-time direct vision but much better averted vision. We're headed into the new moon cycle, and this will probably be the last good chance for those of us employing small scopes to see this as a visual object. Bruce reported last night that it was easy in his 10" scope, so those that are wielding 8+ inches of glass probably have a while to go yet.

Bruce had this to say in his report about seeing SN2014J; "Seeing that alone made it worth the effort of getting out tonight, so anything else was gravy".

Don't be left out of this special event. It really is worth the effort!

Mike M.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
Bruce D
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Re: A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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We were trying to remember it's peak magnitude. I know it never reached naked eye visibility but was a bino object so did it hit mag 8 or so?
Bruce D
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Re: A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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The magnitude for the supernova peaked at about 10.5, so while it may have been a bino object under dark skies, it would have been a very difficult one around here. You might have been thinking of the nova in Delphinus this past year, which brightened from mag 17 to mag 8 before fading.

Mike M.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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Re: A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

Unread post by Bruce D »

That could be, Nova Delphini was much brighter when I saw it than the M82 SN was last night. Still, the M82 SN was multitudes more stiking. When I saw the nova in the dolphin it was a point of light among many and I only knew it wasn't supposed to be there by looking at a chart- I've looked at M82 a buhzillion times but when I looked at it last night my first thought was Hey I never saw THAT before!
Bruce D
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Re: A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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Folks, this celestial spectacle is still hanging in there, though admittedly it is out of visual range for scopes smaller than about six inches deployed under our skies. I haven't tried, but I'd bet that it's an averted vision object in even an 8" scope at this point. Here's the latest curve data from the AAVSO: http://www.aavso.org/lcg/plot?auid=000- ... an=&vmean=

It's looking like by the end of the month it will be below Mag13, which will make it a good visual challenge in larger amateur instruments. Many of us are wielding 10" and larger scopes out there and the next new moon is on the 30th, so why not give it a try?

Happy hunting,
Mike M.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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Re: A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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UPDATE: Our SuperDuperNova of Nearby Neighborhoods is officially out of visual range of small amateur scopes. It's brightness has descended well into the mag 13 range, and it's now an averted vision object in a 10" scope. This was confirmed last night at Bruce's house in Lakeville and through his Meade 10" Schmidt Cassegrain. The sky over Bruce's is reasonably dark, and although the transparency wasn't perfect we were still working under a good sky with the moon at least 5 hours from rising. Neither Bruce, Tom, nor myself could get the supernova via direct vision. So for those of you wielding a scope of 10 or more inches in aperture, and you'd like a nice visual challenge to stir the blood we're heading into a new moon period.

Mike M.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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Apollo XX
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Re: A Once in a Lifetime Supernova

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SN2014J UPDATE: The supernova in galaxy M82 still resonates! While it may be far from our radar as far as observing is concerned, it's still front-and-center in the pro ranks. Recent data released by NASA suggests that we simply don't know what we thought we knew about Type Ia supernova formation. It's the supernova that keeps on giving!

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140816.html

Mike M.
"The purpose of life is the investigation of the Sun, the Moon, and the heavens." - Anaxagoras
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