SN II-P | |
Date | 25 July 2013 |
---|---|
Constellation | Pisces |
Right ascension | 01h 36m 48.16s |
Declination | +15° 45′ 31.0″ |
Epoch | J2000.0 |
Distance | 30±6 Mly |
Host | Messier 74 (NGC 628) |
Progenitor | ? |
Progenitor type | Red supergiant |
Colour (B-V) | Unknown |
Notable features | N/A |
Peak apparent magnitude | 12.1 |
SN 2013ej is a Type II-P supernova in the nearby spiral galaxy Messier 74 (NGC 628). [1] It was discovered by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search on July 25, 2013, with the 0.76 m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope, with pre-discovery images having been taken the day before. [2]
Supernova 2013ej was noted for being as bright as 12th magnitude. [3]
SN 2013ej was compared to supernovas SN 2004et and SN 2007od. [4] Based on various observations it has been theorized that the supernova originated from a red supergiant star that went supernova. [4]
SN 2013ej is one of the brightest Type II supernova detected to-date in NGC 628. [5]
A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. A supernova occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star, or when a white dwarf is triggered into runaway nuclear fusion. The original object, called the progenitor, either collapses to a neutron star or black hole, or is completely destroyed to form a diffuse nebula. The peak optical luminosity of a supernova can be comparable to that of an entire galaxy before fading over several weeks or months.
Messier 74 is a large spiral galaxy in the equatorial constellation Pisces. It is about 32 million light-years away from Earth. The galaxy contains two clearly defined spiral arms and is therefore used as an archetypal example of a grand design spiral galaxy. The galaxy's low surface brightness makes it the most difficult Messier object for amateur astronomers to observe. Its relatively large angular size and the galaxy's face-on orientation make it an ideal object for professional astronomers who want to study spiral arm structure and spiral density waves. It is estimated that M74 hosts about 100 billion stars.
NGC 7331, also known as Caldwell 30, is an unbarred spiral galaxy about 40 million light-years (12 Mpc) away in the constellation Pegasus. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. NGC 7331 is the brightest galaxy in the field of a visual grouping known as the NGC 7331 Group of galaxies. In fact, the other members of the group, NGC 7335, 7336, 7337 and 7340, lie far in the background at distances of approximately 300–350 million light years.
SN 2005df was a Type Ia supernova in the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1559, which is located in the southern constellation of Reticulum. The event was discovered in Australia by Robert Evans on the early morning of August 5, 2005 with a 13.8 magnitude, and was confirmed by A. Gilmore on August 6. The supernova was classified as Type Ia by M. Salvo and associates. It was positioned at an offset of 15.0″ east and 40.0″ north of the galaxy's nucleus, reaching a maximum brightness of 12.3 on August 18. The supernova luminosity appeared unreddened by dust from its host galaxy.
NGC 1097 is a barred spiral galaxy about 45 million light years away in the constellation Fornax. It was discovered by William Herschel on 9 October 1790. It is a severely interacting galaxy with obvious tidal debris and distortions caused by interaction with the companion galaxy NGC 1097A.
NGC 4603 is a spiral galaxy located about 107 million light years away in the constellation Centaurus. It is a member of the Centaurus Cluster of galaxies, belonging to the section designated "Cen30". The morphological classification is SA(s)c, which indicates it is a pure spiral galaxy with relatively loosely wound arms.
NGC 2770 is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Lynx, near the northern constellation border with Cancer. It was discovered by German-born astronomer William Herschel on December 7, 1785. J. L. E. Dreyer described it as, "faint, large, much extended 150°, mottled but not resolved, 2 stars to north". NGC 2770 was the target for the first binocular image produced by the Large Binocular Telescope.
SN 2008ax was a helium-rich type Ib core-collapse supernova in the interacting galaxy NGC 4490. It was independently discovered on 3 March 2008 by LOSS and 4 March by Koichi Itagaki. The site had been monitored six hours before discovery, thus constraining the time of the explosion breakout. It was the third-brightest supernova of 2008. The brightness in the B-band peaked about 20 days after the explosion. X-ray emissions were detected from the event, which are most likely the result of shock heating from the supernova ejecta and circumstellar material.
NGC 3621 is a field spiral galaxy about 22 Mly (6.7 Mpc) away in the equatorial constellation of Hydra. It is comparatively bright and can be well seen in moderate-sized telescopes. The galaxy is around 93,000 ly (29,000 pc) across and is inclined at an angle of 66° from being viewed face on. It shines with a luminosity equal to 13 billion times that of the Sun. The morphological classification is SA(s)d, which indicates this is an ordinary spiral with loosely wound arms. There is no evidence for a bulge. Although it appears to be isolated, NGC 3621 belongs to the Leo spur.
NGC 5584 is a barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo. It was discovered July 27, 1881 by American astronomer E. E. Barnard. Distance determination using Cepheid variable measurements gives an estimate of 75 million light years, whereas the tip of the red-giant branch approach yields a distance of 73.4 million light years. It is receding with a heliocentric radial velocity of 1,637 km/s. It is a member of the Virgo III Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out to the east of the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies.
SN 2014J was a type-Ia supernova in Messier 82 discovered in mid-January 2014. It was the closest type-Ia supernova discovered for 42 years, and no subsequent supernova has been closer as of 2023. The supernova was discovered by chance during an undergraduate teaching session at the University of London Observatory. It peaked on 31 January 2014, reaching an apparent magnitude of 10.5. SN 2014J was the subject of an intense observing campaign by professional astronomers and was bright enough to be seen by amateur astronomers.
NGC 157 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation of Cetus, positioned about 4° east of the star Iota Ceti. This galaxy can be viewed from suburban skies using a moderate-sized telescope. It was discovered on December 13, 1783 by William Herschel. The compiler of the New General Catalogue, John Louis Emil Dreyer noted that NGC 157 was "pretty bright, large, extended, between 2 considerably bright stars". It is a relatively isolated galaxy; the nearest other galaxy of comparable luminosity lies at a separation of 4.2 Mly (1.3 Mpc).
NGC 266 is a massive barred spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces. NGC 266 is located at a distance of 197 megalight-years from the Milky Way. It was discovered on September 12, 1784, by William Herschel. The form of this barred galaxy is described by its morphological classification of SB(rs)ab, which indicates a quasi-ring-like structure (rs) and moderate-to-tightly wound spiral arms (ab). It is the dominant member of a small group with six low-mass galaxies.
NGC 5643 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Lupus. Based on the tip of the red-giant branch distance indicator, it is located at a distance of about 40 million light-years. NGC 5643 has an active galactic nucleus and is a type II Seyfert galaxy.
SN 2009ip was a supernova discovered in 2009 in the spiral galaxy NGC 7259 in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus. Since the brightness waned after days post-discovery, it was redesignated as Luminous blue variable (LBV) Supernova impostor.
NGC 4242 is a spiral galaxy in the northern constellation of Canes Venatici. The galaxy is about 18 million light years away. It was discovered on 10 April 1788 by William Herschel, and it was described as "very faint, considerably large, irregular, round, very gradually brighter in the middle, resolvable" by John Louis Emil Dreyer, the compiler of the New General Catalogue.
NGC 3861 is a large barred spiral galaxy with a ring-like structure located about 310 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. It was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on March 23, 1827. NGC 3861 is a member of the Leo Cluster and has a normal amount of neutral hydrogen and ionised hydrogen.
NGC 1386 is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Eridanus. It is located at a distance of circa 53 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 1386 is about 50,000 light years across. It is a Seyfert galaxy, the only one in Fornax Cluster.
NGC 4302 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.