Supernova 2020uxz in NGC 514

[Wyvern]

Hi all,

Only another quick snapshot before some high clouds came through last night.

Sorry about the arrows JeremyS 😉

Regards to all

Les

[callisto]

Its amazing to think how bright and far away this is 😮

 

Mark

[John]

41 minutes ago, callisto said:

Its amazing to think how bright and far away this is 😮

 

Mark

When I'm observing supernovae it does occasionally cross my mind that while I'm having a good time finding and observing these immense and cataclysmic events, when they actually happened, if any nearby worlds were inhabited, those lifeforms were having a decidedly bad time

 

[John]

Rather poorer transparency tonight but I have managed to see SN 2020uxz again. Using the 12 inch dob at 265x I can't get mag 14 or fainter stars due to a slightly milky sky. The SN is showing faintly where it did on the previous observation - I'd estimate around magnitude 13.5 perhaps ?. It is dimmer than a nearby mag 12.8 star but a touch easier to see than a mag 13.8 star that is mostly visible only with averted vision tonight. No sign at all of NGC 514 !

 

 

[Paul M]

I'd been hoping to get another go at this one tonight but the weather wasn't playing, or the forecast wasn't. Just took the dog outside before bed and it's clear!

I've not seen many more images knocking around. I'd been expecting to see a deep imaging job by someone to bring out the host galaxy in detail, give a better sperspective. It's maybe a bit beyond my current ability but it would be nice to have a go before the supernova slips firmly onto the downward magnitude slope.

[John]

15 minutes ago, Paul M said:

I'd been hoping to get another go at this one tonight but the weather wasn't playing, or the forecast wasn't. Just took the dog outside before bed and it's clear!

I've not seen many more images knocking around. I'd been expecting to see a deep imaging job by someone to bring out the host galaxy in detail, give a better sperspective. It's maybe a bit beyond my current ability but it would be nice to have a go before the supernova slips firmly onto the downward magnitude slope.

Tonight was a bit frustrating here as well. I put my 12 inch dob out before supper under a clear sky. By the time I had finished eating we were heavily clouded and it even looked like rain, so the scope came back in. Then the cloud broke up and some clear patches arrived but it still looked dodgy so I used a lightweight refractor to peek in the gaps. Then more cloud so that scope came in. At 10:30 a larger clear spell seemed to have settled in so out went the 12 inch again. 30 minutes later I made the SN observations noted above, had some nice views of Mars and Uranus and then, more clouds piled in

In, out, in out, just like the hokey cokey !

 

[JeremyS]

7 hours ago, John said:

Tonight was a bit frustrating here as well. I put my 12 inch dob out before supper under a clear sky. By the time I had finished eating we were heavily clouded and it even looked like rain, so the scope came back in. Then the cloud broke up and some clear patches arrived but it still looked dodgy so I used a lightweight refractor to peek in the gaps. Then more cloud so that scope came in. At 10:30 a larger clear spell seemed to have settled in so out went the 12 inch again. 30 minutes later I made the SN observations noted above, had some nice views of Mars and Uranus and then, more clouds piled in

In, out, in out, just like the hokey cokey !

 

I was doing the same dance, John 😬

[globular]

Solid cloud here so I called the whole thing off.

[Mark at Beaufort]

Well done John - although it was clear until 8pm the clouds rolled in and that finished my observing. Went outside about 10.30pm but had total cloud cover. So still not seen the SN.

[Littleguy80]

First clear skies in weeks here. I’m pleased to report I was able to spot the SN. All the images proved very helpful. A fairly easy spot using the Pentax XW 5mm at 240x. I meant to try again with the 10mm Delos but forgot. Was lovely to be out again. 

[John]

Clear skies here again. Bright moon though and some thin hazy cloud about which is making the SN hard work even with the 12 inch dob tonight. I've glimpsed it a few times but can't seem to hold it in direct vision. Can't see the mag 14 stars near it either though. I guess it's probably still magnitude 13.5 or so.

Not a great night for faint DSO observing one way and another - NGC 514 is not playing at all, unsurprisingly.

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by John

[mdstuart]

Same here John. I can see the SN with averted vision at times but with the moon I am limited to about mag 13.5 as well.

I cannot see the host galaxy tonight either.

Your 12 inch dob never ceases to amaze me. It performs as well as my 20 inch.

Mark

[Mark at Beaufort]

I had the same experience as John and Mark with the Moon making it difficult to view the SN. It certainly helped using the 80mm finderscope and the Stellarium star atlas to see the pattern of stars to locate NGC514.

The interesting experience was the eyepiece that gave the best view. I started with the 13mm Ethos, then the 9mm Myraid and finally the 6mm Ethos. To be honest I was not certain that I was viewing the SN.

However, the magic bullet was the Baader Classic 10mm Ortho and there is was. So the opinion that has been expressed about viewing fainter DSOs with the Baader Ortho came true viewing the SN.

[lunator]

Hi Mark,

Never under-estimate the power of the ortho

I think it's low number of elements mean you lose less light as it travels through the optical train. Not as issue usually but on something right at the margins it can make all the difference.

I keep meaning to have a go at this SN but I forget whilst trying to tease out details in Mars.

Cheers

Ian

[Paul M]

I had another go last night. Not the best conditions. Cloud dodging and guiding not playing. Of 5 x 60 sec exposures only 3 were not ruined by passing cumulus clouds so I've stacked and stretched those. ASI178MC camera and 10" Newt. 

Edit: It looks like I just reprocessed my data from my previous image earlier in the thread! Can't find last nights subs. I thought it looked familiar 

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by Paul M

[Wyvern]

Managed to catch the SN again Saturday (24th) between bright Moon and rolling clouds. Sky obliterated some 15 mins after the shot!!

Regards,

Les

[Mark at Beaufort]

Thanks Les - the weather has been so poor I really want another chance to view this SN. I really appreciate your images of this event.

[John]

Had a go tonight in a clear patch with the 12 inch dob. Transparency was average. I got the magnitude 13.3 star nearby and glimpses of the galaxy NGC 514 but the supernova itself has eluded me so far tonight. Looking at the latest reports on the Rochester Astronomy website seem to indicate that it's brightness is dropping now - figures of mag 14.6 and even 15.2 estimated for the 3-11-2020. If it's in the mid mag 14's then that's probably a wee bit faint for me to pick up tonight.

 

 

[John]

Update: might have just caught a couple of glimpses of the SN but then again, might not !

One way or another I've no doubt that SN 2020uxz is now fainter than the mag 13.5 that I estimated last time I observed it (26/10).

 

Edited November 4, 2020 by John

[Mark at Beaufort]

Thanks for the update John. I only had one chance recently to see the SN and the Moon was very close so cannot be certain that I saw it. I decided to have another go since but cloud has been a constant problem. Tonight its showing total cloud from 7pm to 11pm on 'clear outside' so I might get a chance later with the 12" Dob.

[robin_astro]

A couple of spectra, one about 6 days before maximum and one about 13 days after

https://britastro.org/specdb/data_graph.php?obs_id=8176%2C8020&multi=yes&legend_pos=ne

The spectrum has evolved quite a bit in that time but continues to give a good match to typical type Ia supernovae of the same age (using SNID the supernova identification program, black measured, red match)

 

Robin

[Wyvern]

Latest S/N shot from 5th Nov.

Regards, Les. 

[Paul M]

On 07/11/2020 at 18:28, Wyvern said:

Latest S/N shot from 5th Nov.

Not so Super now but still looking very blue in your image on my laptop screen.

Looking at the forecast I'll be lucky to get another go at this one before it fades into history.