19 maart 2024

Ierse amateur-astronoom ontdekt binnen twee jaar z’n tweede supernova

Credit: David Grennan

Hij heet David Grennan en hij heeft in Raheny in Noord-Ierland z’n eigen observatorium. Daarmee is hij er in geslaagd om binnen twee jaar twee keer een supernova te ontdekken. De laatste keer was op 22 augustus j.l., toen hij de supernova ontdekte, die nu door het leven gaat als SN 2012ej. De explosie van de ster vond eigenlijk 123 miljoen jaar geleden plaats, want dat is de afstand tot het sterrenstelsel IC 2166 in het sterrenbeeld Lynx, waarin de supernova plaatsvond. Op de foto hierboven zie je Dave Grennan en z’n vrouw Carol in zijn observatorium. Hieronder de ontdekkingsfoto van SN 2012ej.

Credit: David Grennan

De eerste supernova die Grennan ontdekte was SN 2010ik, die hij september 2010 zag verschijnen in het sterrenstelsel UGC 112, 290 miljoen lichtjaar verderop. Drie keer scheepsrecht, nietwaar? Bron: TV3.

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  1. hello… i think i also realy saw a supernova around13 august… i was in germay near the Bastei and we were real close to the stars, there was a meteorite rain and after a while i saw a white star turnig bigger and more yellow and then it completely disapeared… i was totally i shoque becuase of the odd event i just saw before my eyes high above me in the sky… she was betewwen a more crowded part of the sky and when she went out there was realy a gasp in that aria…. could it have been a supernova??? would u let me know cos i couldn t let go of what i then expierienced….

  2. Hi Yolande, thanx for your comment. Nope, I don’t think that was a supernova. If that was visible with the naked eye more people would have seen it and it would be visible for a long time, specially with telescopes. But no supernova was seen around that time in our Milky Way – that’s a pity. Probably you saw a fireball of the same meteor shower (around that time Perseids), one that was pointlike because it’s direction was in your direction.

  3. Avatar foto Olaf van Kooten zegt

    No it would not have been a supernova. They don’t fade so quickly. You probably saw a fireball, an exploding meteorite in the earth atmosphere.

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