SN 2003gd

SN 2003gd
Spitzer Space Telescope image of a dust cloud at the position of the SN 2003gd explosion
Event typeSupernova
Type II-P[1]
Datec. 30.3 million years ago
(discovered 12 June 2003[1] by Robert Evans)
ConstellationPisces
Right ascension01h 36m 42.65s[2]
Declination+15° 44′ 20.9″[2]
EpochJ2000.0
Galactic coordinates138.6379° −45.7477°[1]
Distance30.3 ± 5.9 Mly (9.3 ± 1.8 Mpc)[3]
HostPhantom Galaxy[1]
ProgenitorRed supergiant[4] c. 8 solar masses
Peak apparent magnitude13.2[1]
Other designationsSN 2003gd
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SN 2003gd was a Type II-P supernova explosion in the Phantom Galaxy, located in the constellation Pisces. SN 2003gd was discovered on 12 June 2003 by Robert Evans, using a 0.31m reflector, and its discovery was confirmed on 13 June 2003 by R. H. McNaught using the 1.0m telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory.[5]

This supernova was located along the outer edge of a spiral arm,[6] ~7.3 kpc from the galactic nucleus[3] at an angular offset 13.2″ east and 161.0″ south of the core.[1] It was discovered at the end of its "plateau phase", approximately 86 days after its estimated explosion date of 18 March 2003. Despite a lower tail luminosity in the light curve, this appears to be a normal Type II-p.[3] A light echo from nearby dust was detected in archival images from 2004.[7]

Messier 74 had been observed approximately 300 days before the explosion with the Gemini Telescope and about 200 days before using the Hubble Space Telescope. Astronomers were able to identify an object in these pre-supernova images that was in the same position as SN 2003gd, and which is believed to be the supernova's progenitor star. This progenitor star was a red supergiant with a mass of ~8 M☉, consistent with the expectations of existing single-star stellar evolution models. It is the first progenitor of a normal type II-P supernova to have ever been detected.[8][9][4]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference Barbon_et_al_2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference McNaught2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Hendry_et_al_2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Maund_Smartt_2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference IAUC_8150 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Michałowski_et_al_2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sugerman2005 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference INGT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Smartt_et_al_2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).