Tycho's supernova
| Tycho's supernova | |
|---|---|
| |
| Observational Data | |
| Designation | SN 1572 G 120.1+1.4 |
| Right ascension | 00h 25m 18s[1] |
| Declination | +64° 09′[1] |
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Type of object | Supernova remnant |
| Dimensions | 3.7 arcminutes[1] |
| Magnitude | Apparent Mag: -4 (peak)[1] |
| Astrometry | |
| Distance from Earth | 3,500 ly[2] |
Tycho's Supernova (SN 1572, B Cassiopeiae) was a supernova that occurred in the constellation of Cassiopeia.[3] Occurring in 1572, it was one of the earliest supernovae recorded in the Milky Way. It is named after Tycho Brahe who noticed a bright star where there had been none previously on the night sky.[1] It reached a peak magnitude of -4, making it a similar brightness to the planet Venus.
History
The supernova is named after Tycho Brahe who observed a star that he did not recognise near the zenith while walking home on November 11, 1572.[4] However he was not the first person to see the supernova; some claim to have seen it in August but W. Schuler saw it a week earlier than Tycho on November 5, 1572.[1] Initially it was the same brightness as Jupiter but quickly reached the same brightness as Venus, and could be observed during the day for around 2 weeks. It began to fade at the end of November and also became redder. After 16 months was no longer visible to the naked eye after March 1574.[1]
Tycho's observation of the supernova ultimately lead to his life long interest in astronomy. He performed precise measurements to demonstrate that it was not a nearby object such as a comet but significantly further away, comparable to the distances of stars.[3] Much later in the 1960s, extraordinarily faint nebulosity was discovered in the position Tycho recorded the supernova as being.[1] This was taken to be the remnant of the supernova. No stellar remnant has been seen. In 2008 it was shown to be a Type Ia supernova.
Properties and Structure
The nebula is around 3,500 light years away and is 3.7 arcminutes across.[2] The nebula contains a radio source catalogued as 3C 10 and also an x-ray source.[1] The spectacular image on the right is a false color image of the nebula in x-rays and was taken by the Chandra Space telescope. The gas of the nebula is expanding extremely rapidly at some 9,000 km/s.[1] This is much faster than other nebulae such as the Crab Nebula which is expanding at only 1,000 km/s. This expansion is clear in images taken over a period of 15 years by Chandra.[5] Infrared images have shown the shockwave produced by the supernova has heated dust.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 SN 1572 from spider.seds.org
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Tycho's Supernova Remnant from nasa.gov
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tycho's Nova from britannica.com
- ↑ New Insights on Tycho's Supernova from skyandtelescope.com
- ↑ Tycho's Supernova Remnant: Chandra Movie Captures Expanding Debris From a Stellar Explosion from chandra.harvard.edu
