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Supernova now visible in binoculars!

mdstuart

By mdstuart
in The Astro Lounge

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Moonshane

Moonshane

Posted
Posted
Gave it a go with the MAK and 15x70's and couldn't even find M101. I can find it in seconds at my dark site, dam LP!!

same here mate with the 16"! a combination of residual sunlight, then light pollution and then going behind a house gave me no chance. might be my first trip out with the big dob.

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Hypernova

Hypernova

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I managed the SN just about but not the galaxy itself, the high haze, LP and ever lowering altitude must've extinguished it's faint light. The SN was seen in the right area looking at Stellarium as there are no stars of that magnitude or brighter in that particular patch of sky so I am certain I have managed to observe it. I even dragged my mum out to have a look and she confirmed that she could see it.

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John

John

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maybe I looked at it and didn't realise. will try again sometime over the weekend if the weather plays ball.

Thats quite possible - M101 is not an easy target in less-than-ideal skies but point sources will fare better.

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JamesF

JamesF

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haha ok then so really i just dont stand a chance then lol, i hope it will be visible then once i get my tripod and at PSP as im hoping to learn my way around more once i go to this star party x

I shouldn't be too disappointed to be honest. A supernova would be a fantastic thing to see from the point of view of what it is, but there are other things out there that you should be able to see easily with the bins that are far more impressive visually.

James

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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I'm also thinking as this area is fairly low down you loose mag. compared to an object near the zenith but how much - 0.5 mag 1 mag?

andrew

depends on extinction rates. According to my latest info it is around 11.0 (but yesterday it seemed brighter to me), so the SN is not the problem, M101 is.

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spaceboy

spaceboy

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depends on extinction rates. According to my latest info it is around 11.0 (but yesterday it seemed brighter to me), so the SN is not the problem, M101 is.

I agree this is the problem. I gave up on M101 and just concentrated on trying to find the line of 3 stars the center being the SN. But I don't want to risk spending the night looking at what could be a regular star because it's where I thought M101 is. It didn't help that there are several doubles in that vicinity. No doubt like Shane said I did see it last night but didn't realize. Pointless frustration I know but when I went on holiday to Wales earlier in the year M101 is clearly visible with simple binoculars but under LP even a 16" dob is out of luck. OK less than ideal skies for most of us but I can't help but be disappointed for those of us who had the chance at an obvious and rather impressive SN to no doubt miss out.

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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I agree this is the problem. I gave up on M101 and just concentrated on trying to find the line of 3 stars the center being the SN. But I don't want to risk spending the night looking at what could be a regular star because it's where I thought M101 is. It didn't help that there are several doubles in that vicinity. No doubt like Shane said I did see it last night but didn't realize. Pointless frustration I know but when I went on holiday to Wales earlier in the year M101 is clearly visible with simple binoculars but under LP even a 16" dob is out of luck. OK less than ideal skies for most of us but I can't help but be disappointed for those of us who had the chance at an obvious and rather impressive SN to no doubt miss out.

Do you have an LPR filter (wide band, not narrow band like UHC). That should at least block sodium and mercury lines prominent in LP. Otherwise, getting out of town is the only option.

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Note that I find the most striking guide the two stars (mag 9 I think) just north and west of M101. These two form an isosceles triangle with SN2011fe, with the upper of the two mag 9 stars the tip. This can be seen quite clearly in the map I posted above (note this has a 1.5 deg FOV).

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Looking at your map - paradoxically - with a small telescope your not going to see most of so the 9 to 11 mag may be max - so could stand out a bit more clearly in say a 4".

andrew

A map with fewer stars might be better for finding purposes, indeed. That said, the SN is easy enough in a bigger scope, as you also get at least a hint of the galaxy.

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andrew63

andrew63

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Saw this image from an old book of mine from the 80's jack newton deep -sky album. The images are all wide scale and quite realistic for visual use. I can see the pattern clearly from the pdf chart. Sorry about the quality! North is toward the mag 9.6 area of picture.

andrew

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