2014 01 25, SN 2014J in M82
If the sky is clear, point your telescope to the constellation Ursa Major and have a look at the Cigar Galaxy, M82. A type Ia supernova was discovered within it on January 21, 2014, by Dr. Steve Fossey and astronomy students Ben Cooke, Tom Wright, Matthew Wilde and Guy Pollack from the University College London Observatory. M82 is 12 million light-years away, which in turn means that it’s taken that long for the light from the explosion to reach us.
This makes a fine target for large and small telescopes alike and should continue to brighten over the next couple weeks.
Eyepiece sketch created with white printer paper, #2 pencil, charcoal for nebulosity, and a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. The supernova is indicated in the sketch by two hash marks.
Related topics:
NASA Spacecraft Take Aim At Nearby Supernova
List of Recent Supernovae – IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
CBAT “Transient Object Followup Reports” – also from IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams
Bright new supernova blows up in the Cigar galaxy (M82) by Astronomy magazine.
Bright Supernova in M82 – Astronomy Picture of the DAy
PCW Memorial Observatory - Erika Rix 
Excellent drawing, feels like I’m seeing it myself! Thank you. 🙂
Jan Romer said this on January 26, 2014 at 12:21 |
Thank you, Jan! Wishing you clear skies to monitor its progress.
Erika Rix said this on January 26, 2014 at 14:53 |