NCG 4 666 :* End the Year with a Bang! See a Bright Supernova in Virgo 1147 ;) = 1176+1 = 117715 = universetoday/117715/end-the-year-with-a-bang-see-a-bright-supernova-in-virgo/ A 14th magnitude supernova discovered in the spiral galaxy NGC 4 666 :* earlier this month has recently brightened to 11th :* magnitude, making it not only the second :* brightest supernova of the year, but an easy find in an 8-inch or larger telescope. I made a special trip into the cold this morning for a look and saw it with ease in my 10-inch (25-cm) scope at low power at magnitude 11.9.:* Before the Moon taints the dawn sky, you may want to bundle up and have a look, too. The charts below will help you get there. NGC 4 666 is also known as the Superwind Galaxy. :* Home to vigorous star formation, a combination of supernova explosions and strong :* winds from massive stars in the starburst region drives a vast outflow of gas from the galaxy into space, a so-called “superwind”. Credit: ESO/J. Dietrich :* < NGC 4 666 is also known as the Superwind Galaxy. Home to vigorous star formation, a combination of supernova explosions and strong winds from massive stars in the starburst region drives a vast outflow of gas from the galaxy into space, called a “superwind”. Credit: ESO/J. Dietrich With the temporary name ASASSN-14lp, :* this Type Ia supernova was snatched up by the catchy-titled “Assassin :* < Project”, short for Automated Sky Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN) on December 9th. :* < Only 80 million light years from Earth, NGC 4 666 is a relatively nearby spiral galaxy famous enough to earn a nickname. Extra-planar soft X-ray :* emitting hot gas is observed above the most actively star-forming regions in the galactic disk of NGC 4 666 and coexists together with filaments of the warm ionized medium, cosmic rays and vertical magnetic field structures channelling (or following) the outflow. Credit: M. Ehle and ESO Hot, X-ray emitting gas in NGC 4 666 billows around the main galaxy as a superwind seen here as outflows on either side of the optical image. Photo taken with the XMM-Newton telescope. Credit: M. Ehle and ESO Called the Superwind Galaxy, it’s home to waves of intense star formation thought to be caused by gravitational interactions between it and its neighboring galaxies, including NGC 4 668, visible in the lower left corner of the photo above. Supernovae also play a part in powering the wind which emerges from the galaxy’s central regions like pseudopods on an amoeba. X-ray and radio light show the outflows best. How fitting that a bright supernova should happen to appear at this time. Seeing one of the key players behind the superwind with our own eyes gives us a visceral feel for the nature of its home galaxy. Wide view map showing the location of the galaxy NGC 4 666 in Virgo ;* not far from Porrima or Gamma Virginis. This map shows the sky facing south shortly before the start of dawn in early January. Source: Stellarium “Big picture” map showing the location of the galaxy NGC 4 666 in Virgo not far from Porrima. The view faces south shortly before the start of dawn in early January. Source: Stellarium Spectra taken of ASASSN-14lp show it to be a Type Ia object involving the explosive burning of a white dwarf star in a binary system. The Earth-size :* dwarf packs the gravitational might of a sun-size star and pulls hydrogen gas from the nearby companion down to its surface. Slowly, the dwarf gets heavier and more massive. When it attains a mass 1.4 times that of the sun, :* it can no longer support itself. The star suddenly collapses, heats to incredible temperatures and burns up explosively in a runaway fusion reaction. Bang! A supernova. Detailed map with stars to about magnitude 10. :* The galaxy is just a little more than a degree northeast of Porrima (Gamma Virginis). Source: Stellarium Detailed map with stars to about magnitude 10. The galaxy is just a little more than a degree northeast of Porrima (Gamma Virginis). Source: Stellarium Here are a couple maps to help you find the new object. Fortunately, it’s high in the sky just before the start of dawn in the “Y” :* of Virgo only a degree or so from the 3rd magnitude double star Porrima, also known as Gamma Virginis. Have at it and let us know if you spot the latest superwind-maker. For more photos and magnitude updates, check out Dave Bishop’s page on the supernova. You can also print a chart with comparison magnitudes by clicking over to the AAVSO and typing in ASASSN-14lp in the “name” box.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 04:59:56 +0000
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