Last week, master's and doctoral students made observations with the Northern Optical Telescope and published classifications of six different supernovae as part of the Astronomical Observing Techniques II course.
Last week, master's and doctoral students at the Department of Astronomy at Stockholm University carried out observations with the Northern Optical Telescope (NOT) as part of the Astronomical Observational Techniques II course. NOT observations are used in an exercise to classify different types of supernovae. The students took their own data on six different objects and classified five of them as type Ia supernovae and one as type II supernovae. Jesper Sollerman, leader of the department's supernova group, provided the students with objects to observe and held a preparatory seminar on how to detect and monitor supernovas.
Students from the Astronomical Observing Techniques II course, observing supernovas with the Northern Optical Telescope (NOT). Photo: Therese Thedemann Hansen.
Categories are published in AstroNote format on the Transient Name Server (TNS). TNS is the official reporting mechanism for transients – celestial objects that suddenly appear in the starry sky, such as supernovas – exploding stars. TNS is operated by the International Astronomical Union. You can find classified supernovae and their data here And here.
The supernova SN 2024igg was discovered by the Zwicky Transit Facility in the galaxy NGC 5876, and then classified by students as a Type II supernova using their NOT observations. Type II supernovae are explosions of massive stars. The image shows the galaxy before the supernova (left) and the first image of the supernova (middle), and subtracting the two images clearly shows the new supernova.
Type Ia supernovae occur in binary systems containing at least one white dwarf. One scenario could be when the companion star loses mass at the end of its life to a white dwarf. Eventually, the white dwarf reaches a critical mass that triggers an uncontrolled nuclear fusion reaction that results in an explosion.
Type II supernovae occur when a massive star runs out of “fuel” in its core, cutting off the external pressure that keeps the star stable. This causes the star to collapse under its own weight, resulting in an explosion.
Supernovas exhibit different properties in the light they emit, also called their spectra. By analyzing the spectrum, astronomers can get clues about the type of supernova they are observing. This allows the classification of supernovae.
The Astronomical Observational Technology II course is offered as a master's course in the Department of Astronomy each spring. It is a practical course that introduces its students to how astrophysical observations are made. During the course, students observe both the 20-meter radio telescope at the Onsala Space Observatory and the Nordic Optical Telescope and then analyze their data.
“The Astronomical Observational Techniques II course provides students with a unique opportunity to gain practical experience in observations with scientific research facilities and develop skills essential for all astronomers. An added bonus is that they receive data and work on projects from research groups” in the department, in this case the SN group, which It can lead to co-authorship of publications,” says Therese Thidemann Hansen, researcher and teacher of the course.
You can find more information about the course here.
Last updated: May 13, 2024
Responsible page: Astronomy Department
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