SN 2014J, a Type Ia, has exploded in the constellation Ursa Major. (Apologies to everyone in the southern hemisphere.) It's the closest to Earth since
SN 1993J in M81.
I'll try to observe it this weekend, if weather permits. M82 is one of the harder galaxies to find, but not hard to see. The supernova is expected to
hit magnitude 8, which is easy for binoculars at a dark site. Best time to observe will likely be around midnight. (I have a polar mount, so it's
difficult for me to observe things that are high in altitude and very positive in declination.)Pulverulescent - 24-1-2014 at 06:33
Quote:
SN 2014J, a Type Ia, has exploded in the constellation Ursa Major.
The word "has" makes it seem as if it has just occurred . . . ?neptunium - 24-1-2014 at 07:05
for us here it does....but we all know its about 12 million years old give or take. fantastic display nonetheless at mag 8 its a very bright one! Praxichys - 24-1-2014 at 07:48
I can dust off the old telescope. It does 470x with a ~75mm aperture. Single refractor. If the clouds in southern Michigan blow away (It's supposed to
be -18C tonight so it will probably be clear) I will try to capture an image.Brain&Force - 24-1-2014 at 08:02
It looks like it's two weeks away from max brightness. Apparently, this is the closest type Ia supernovae in 32 years!
Praxichys - 470x with a 75 mm telescope? That's not possible in any telescope - too much atmospheric distortion - and the aperture of your scope is
too small to go beyond 150x (unless it's a dedicated imaging scope and you're taking long exposures). In dark skies it should be possible to see the
supernova in your scope, but the galaxy itself won't be too easy to see.
[Edited on 24-1-2014 by Brain&Force]
[Edited on 24-1-2014 by Brain&Force]neptunium - 24-1-2014 at 08:15
SN1987 was only visible in the southern hemisphere so this is a real treat for us up here! bfesser - 24-1-2014 at 09:26
Here's a page that compiles photos of it, for those of us who are "disadvantaged" in one way or another: <a
href="http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2014/sn2014j.html" target="_blank">Supernovae 2014J in M82</a> <img src="../scipics/_ext.png"
/> (rochesterastronomy.org)
According to the comments, 470x is a lie. Good thing it was a gift!Brain&Force - 26-1-2014 at 12:38
I saw the supernova last night! It was visible around magnitude 10.8, with a magnification of 75x and a 200mm aperture (I didn't bother bringing out
my other eyepieces). It was also the first time I saw M82 (I'm trying to find all of the Messier objects). Even though I live near a pretty big city,
the light pollution isn't that bad. I was also able to see M78 and M79 that night. Considering that the supernova will likely be much brighter in a
week or two, it's a good idea to wait a week.
The photo that bfesser posted shows the proper contrast between the galaxy and the supernova. Of course, the galaxy is much, much fainter, even in the
telescope.Brain&Force - 1-2-2014 at 20:10
I'm looking at the supernova right now. It has definitely gotten brighter, but nowhere near the mythical mag 8 originally predicted.
