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Supernovae
Supernovae
(SN) are massive exploding giant stars, existing either as a single star
or a binary system. They are so bright that they
can collectively outshine all the stars in their
host galaxy. What happens after
the explosion of a SN, depends on the type and mass
of the progenitor star. Mostly, they produce a gas
cloud called a supernova remnant.
Starting around 1933,
astronomer Fritz Zwicky was the first one to
extensively research supernovae. He not only coined the term
"supernova", but today he still is the
individual who holds the record of the most
supernovae discovered. Since the pioneering work of Fritz
Zwicky, the know-how on SN has vastly extended. |
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Amateur astronomers
play an important role in the discovery of SN : the vast majority of
SN nowadays are found by amateurs, using CCD cameras.
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M1
or Crab Nebula, a remnant of a supernova that appeared in they year
1054. (c) T. Kredner, Calar Alto. |
The discovery of SN is still
attracting a lot of attention from the professional
astronomers community. The
importance of an automated SN-search program
therefore is to find SN shortly after they
explode, so that professionals can track the
exploding star over its entire cycle, and learn as much as
possible about the physics of supernovae, providing
clues to the fate of the cosmos.
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Discovery of SN2002jy
My search for supernovae is a
low-profile activity, done sporadically
only.
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