I don't think your matching is correct either, there are brighter stars in that area that didn't show up in Gavin's photo. The distance ratio is also not right based on your 2 photos. The star in your pinwheel green cross is different from the star in his pinwheel green cross.
If you based on Gavin's original 2 pictures, he may still be correct based on the distance ratio of the different stars, it is somewhere there, whether the green cross is right or wrong, then I am not too sure.
Supernova in Pinwheel Galaxy (M101)!
-
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
Hi Gary, Clifford,
Whoa! Thanks for helping me solve the identity of the Mystery Star.
I have now superimposed both images using Photoshop layering. After superimposing them, I further resized my image slightly
to more closely match that of the reference image and also rotated it slightly.
Below is the result. As can be seen, it is a near perfect match. So, assuming that the reference image is correct in identifying the
supernova, then the one which I had originally identified would I think indeed be the supernova. As earlier stated, at the time I imaged it
(on 1 Sept), it was reported at just under mag 11 and the Mystery Star corresponds to that brightness when compared with the other 3-5 stars nearby.
So I'm pretty certain it is the supernova.
BTW, as a further update, I have tried on about 4 separate days to try to view the supernova in an eyepiece with my LX90 8" SCT from home
(downtown Singapore). Each time, the mag 8.01 star could be seen without difficulty, though it was faint.
However, I struggled to see the supernova. I think I saw it on two occasions in a few fleeting moments. I used all sorts of techniques
such as adding a dew shield to block stray light, putting a light shroud over my head, adapting my eyes to the darkness, take several breaths
of air to increase oxygen flow, and averted vision. Only thing I didn't do was Weixing's recommended recipe of drinking lots of carrot juice beforehand.
Eyepieces used were a 26mm Plossl , 24mm Hyperion, and 14mm Pentax XL.
I would say with 55% confidence that I did see the supernova in the eyepiece.
I think the main causes of the dimness was Singapore's high level of light pollution, the fact that after dusk the supernova/M101 was
only about 20 degrees above the western horizon and setting, and the general high level haziness that has been prevalent in the past week around dusk.
Otherwise, I think it would have been easily seen in the eyepiece at a dark sky site, etc.
The supernova is now reported to be at around mag 10.2:
http://www.aavso.org/ql/results?auid=00 ... 5711.87483
Whoa! Thanks for helping me solve the identity of the Mystery Star.
I have now superimposed both images using Photoshop layering. After superimposing them, I further resized my image slightly
to more closely match that of the reference image and also rotated it slightly.
Below is the result. As can be seen, it is a near perfect match. So, assuming that the reference image is correct in identifying the
supernova, then the one which I had originally identified would I think indeed be the supernova. As earlier stated, at the time I imaged it
(on 1 Sept), it was reported at just under mag 11 and the Mystery Star corresponds to that brightness when compared with the other 3-5 stars nearby.
So I'm pretty certain it is the supernova.
BTW, as a further update, I have tried on about 4 separate days to try to view the supernova in an eyepiece with my LX90 8" SCT from home
(downtown Singapore). Each time, the mag 8.01 star could be seen without difficulty, though it was faint.
However, I struggled to see the supernova. I think I saw it on two occasions in a few fleeting moments. I used all sorts of techniques
such as adding a dew shield to block stray light, putting a light shroud over my head, adapting my eyes to the darkness, take several breaths
of air to increase oxygen flow, and averted vision. Only thing I didn't do was Weixing's recommended recipe of drinking lots of carrot juice beforehand.
Eyepieces used were a 26mm Plossl , 24mm Hyperion, and 14mm Pentax XL.
I would say with 55% confidence that I did see the supernova in the eyepiece.
I think the main causes of the dimness was Singapore's high level of light pollution, the fact that after dusk the supernova/M101 was
only about 20 degrees above the western horizon and setting, and the general high level haziness that has been prevalent in the past week around dusk.
Otherwise, I think it would have been easily seen in the eyepiece at a dark sky site, etc.
The supernova is now reported to be at around mag 10.2:
http://www.aavso.org/ql/results?auid=00 ... 5711.87483
-
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
I finally managed to view the supernova in M101 in an eyepiece, for certain, on Thursday at around 8.00pm, after trying about 6-7 times in the several days before that.
On Thurs evening, I noticed that the sky had good clarity. At that time, the supernova was only about 15 degrees above the horizon.
Using my LX90 (8" SCT) and a 24mm eyepiece (for about 84x), the supernova could only be seen with averted vision. However, when I increased the power to 145x using a 14mm eyepiece, I saw it directly and clearly, though it was very faint. Altogether, I saw it for about 10 minutes.
Just imagine, that single point source of light travelled all the way here for 23 million years and those photons entered the eyepiece. 23 million light years, being 23 x 9.46 trillion km, works out to about 220 trillion km. That's quite far!
Anyway, I wonder if the distance to M101 would be refined following calculations of the brightness / light curve of this supernova. Type Ia supernovae, which this one is, are apparently very impt standard candles used to measure distances to galaxies.
On Thurs evening, I noticed that the sky had good clarity. At that time, the supernova was only about 15 degrees above the horizon.
Using my LX90 (8" SCT) and a 24mm eyepiece (for about 84x), the supernova could only be seen with averted vision. However, when I increased the power to 145x using a 14mm eyepiece, I saw it directly and clearly, though it was very faint. Altogether, I saw it for about 10 minutes.
Just imagine, that single point source of light travelled all the way here for 23 million years and those photons entered the eyepiece. 23 million light years, being 23 x 9.46 trillion km, works out to about 220 trillion km. That's quite far!
Anyway, I wonder if the distance to M101 would be refined following calculations of the brightness / light curve of this supernova. Type Ia supernovae, which this one is, are apparently very impt standard candles used to measure distances to galaxies.
Last edited by starfinder on Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bro, congratulations! Your report give 8" SCT owners and users lots of hope and inspiration to visually catch this supernova also..... in Singapore somemore!
Last edited by Gary on Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
http://www.astro.sg
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
double post. mods pls delete. thanks.
the "quote" and "edit" button near each other. sometimes i get too excited and hit the wrong button. haha.
the "quote" and "edit" button near each other. sometimes i get too excited and hit the wrong button. haha.
Last edited by Gary on Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:20 pm, edited 3 times in total.
http://www.astro.sg
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg
"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
-
Clifford60
- Posts: 1289
- Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:41 pm
- Location: Central
-
acc
- Administrator
- Posts: 2580
- Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2003 11:15 pm
- Favourite scope: Mag1 Instruments 12.5" Portaball
Yes agree with Clifford, great patience and determinationClifford60 wrote:Hi Gavin, congratulation, I admire your patience looking for it.
Furthermore Gavin stays near the city centre... cheers!We do it in the dark...
Portaball 12.5"
Takahashi Mewlon 210
William Optics 110ED
...and all night long!
Portaball 12.5"
Takahashi Mewlon 210
William Optics 110ED
...and all night long!
-
starfinder
- Posts: 1039
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:15 pm
- Location: River Valley / Tanglin Road
- Contact:
Hi, thanks all! Yup, I was quite keen on seeing this one esp since I've not seen a supernova before.
According to the observations posted on the website of the AAVSO, the supernova is now about mag 10.1. It reached a peak brightness of about mag 9.7 just a few days ago, making it a sub-mag 10 supernova which I think is quite rare.
Here is the link to the latest reported brightness observations:
http://www.aavso.org/ql/results?auid=00 ... 5715.86279
And here is the link to the current light curve. It can been seen that the curve has reached its peak and is now in a plateau / slight decline:
http://www.aavso.org/lcg/plot?auid=000- ... an=&vmean=
In my own observations on Thurs, it was definitely fainter than the nearby mag 8.01 and mag 9.06 stars illustrated in my earlier image, and about the same brightness as the mag 10.32 star. So assuming these other stars' brightness are accurately reported, I would say that the supernova was around mag 10. Anyway, I'm not a skilled variable star observer at all, so it's just a rough estimate.
Now, let's hope the next supernova in our own region of the Milky Way occurs soon. From what I've read, it's long overdue, by a few hundred years. The last one was in 1604 (Kepler's Supernova), which reached a brightness of around mag -2.5:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_1604
http://spider.seds.org/spider/Vars/sn1604.html
According to the observations posted on the website of the AAVSO, the supernova is now about mag 10.1. It reached a peak brightness of about mag 9.7 just a few days ago, making it a sub-mag 10 supernova which I think is quite rare.
Here is the link to the latest reported brightness observations:
http://www.aavso.org/ql/results?auid=00 ... 5715.86279
And here is the link to the current light curve. It can been seen that the curve has reached its peak and is now in a plateau / slight decline:
http://www.aavso.org/lcg/plot?auid=000- ... an=&vmean=
In my own observations on Thurs, it was definitely fainter than the nearby mag 8.01 and mag 9.06 stars illustrated in my earlier image, and about the same brightness as the mag 10.32 star. So assuming these other stars' brightness are accurately reported, I would say that the supernova was around mag 10. Anyway, I'm not a skilled variable star observer at all, so it's just a rough estimate.
Now, let's hope the next supernova in our own region of the Milky Way occurs soon. From what I've read, it's long overdue, by a few hundred years. The last one was in 1604 (Kepler's Supernova), which reached a brightness of around mag -2.5:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_1604
http://spider.seds.org/spider/Vars/sn1604.html