Steve’s Virtual Planet

My First Supernova!

There are times when you are witness to something truly remarkable in the night sky. I am always thrilled to get a good view of something new, just because I can, but sometimes the meaning goes way beyond the visual impact. For example, I had a good look at comet Holmes through the Fernbank (FSC) 36 inch scope a few years back one day after it burst forth. I also got a good view through my 80mm refractor (using a solar filter, of course!) of the June 2012 Venus transit from my own driveway, a once in a lifetime event for sure. But as singular events like this go, I cannot get over seeing Supernova SN2014J in M82 this past week using the 36 inch at FSC.

I just happened to be planning to get up to the observatory that night, all rugged up for an evening of sub freezing temperatures and single digit wind chill. Ya know … perfect camping weather! Jupiter was going to show off the GRS at 9:00 and that was going to be my prime target. Well, fortunately, Dr Ed Albin had been checking SpaceWeather.com that day and saw the announcement of the supernova in M82. At magnitude 11, he was sure it would be bright enough to get in the big scope, even from the suburbs.

Well, at 10:15 or so we just had a few people left in the observatory, the ones that hadn’t taken off for hot chocolate somewhere. The dipper had been getting up higher out of the trees so we knew we had a clear line of sight. (always remember to plan your viewing). We wheeled around the scope and the dome .. and .. “there it is”, Ed called out! Even though M82 was a faintish smokey cigar shaped smudge, sure enough, there was a bright star peeping out of it. An exploded star, a type 1A supernova, 12 million light years away from Earth!

I knew it was special and I was as delighted as I could be given the chilly state of my toes and fingers. So, I suppose it didn’t really hit me until later that night after I warmed up. A SUPERNOVA!! The place where the heavy elements are made in a process called supernova nucleosynthesis. Elements like silicon, iron, potassium that allow carbon based life to evolve to what we are. Carl Sagan reminded us some years that we are made of star stuff. Indeed, there it is happening where we can see it. Beyond that .. I am speechless, but I’ll probably have another post here shortly with links to the event as it unfolds in the coming week or so.

What an amazing place and time we live in to see such wonders.

Updated link - 3-28-24