[BAA-ebulletin 00604] Possible Type-Ia Supernova in M101

[Rick]

[BAA-ebulletin 00604]  Possible Type-Ia Supernova in M101
(c) 2011 British Astronomical Association -- http://www.britastro.org/

According to AAVSO Special Notice #250 Matthew Templeton reports that there is a possible Type-Ia Supernova in M101.

P. Nugent et al. report in ATel #3581 that a possible Type-Ia supernova has been discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory shortly after eruption in the galaxy M101 and has been designated "PTF11kly".

The object, when discovered on August 23/24, was at a magnitude of g=17.2, but already by late August 24 was at 14.5V/v and it may reach mag 10 or 11. The object is well placed within M101 for good photometry, and observations of this potential bright SNIa are strongly encouraged.

The (J2000) coordinates reported for the object are

RA: 14:03:05.81 , Dec: +54:16:25.4

Charts using the name PTF11kly may be plotted with the AAVSO VSP at http://www.aavso.org/vsp

You should select the DSS option when plotting, as the galaxy will not appear on standard charts.

Roger Pickard, VSS Director
2011 August 25

[Rick]

...and today's APOD: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110826.html

[Carole]

Joshua Bloom, assistant professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, called it "the supernova of a generation." Astronomers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley, who made the discovery predict that it will be a target for research for the next decade, making it one of the most-studied supernova in history.

Link to image comparisons and other info:
These images show Type Ia supernova PTF 11kly, the youngest ever detected—over the past three nights.

http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2011/08/25/supernova/

[Rick]

[BAA-ebulletin 00605]  Observations of SN2011fe in M101
(c) 2011 British Astronomical Association -- http://www.britastro.org/

The BAA has received the following request from members of the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) following their discovery of the supernova 2011fe in M101.

The PTF team is requesting help from people who observed the galaxy M101 between the dates August 22 and August 24, 2011. We have discovered a new SN in M101 (PTF11kly / SN 2011fe) in this galaxy on August 24, and images of the galaxy recorded during these nights may help establish the exact time of the SN explosion and its early evolution. People who may have useful data are encouraged to contact us by sending an email to ptf11kly (at) gmail.com.

Tom Boles

[Rick]

This supernova got some attention on the BBC news today, particularly during the Today programme...

[Tony G]

This supernova got some attention on the BBC news today, particularly during the Today programme...

And also on LBC Radio, by our very own Greg Smye-Rumsby. 

Tony G

[Carole]

Missed it, but good on you Greg.

Carole