 SN 2006gy and the core of its home galaxy, NGC 1260, viewed in x-ray light from the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The NGC 1260 galactic core is on the lower left and SN 2006gy is on the upper right. | |
| Event type | Hypernova |
|---|---|
| IIn[1] | |
| Date | c. 238 million years ago (discovered 18 September 2006 by Robert Quimby and P. Mondol) |
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Right ascension | 03h 17m 27.10s[2] |
| Declination | +41° 24′ 19.50″[2] |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Galactic coordinates | 150.2568 -13.5916 |
| Distance | c. 238 million ly[3] |
| Host | NGC 1260 |
| Progenitor | Hypergiant |
| Progenitor type | Hypergiant star similar to Eta Carinae |
| Colour (B-V) | −0.50 ~ +1.60 |
| Notable features | is located 2.0" W and 0.4" N of the center of NGC 1260 |
| Peak apparent magnitude | +14.2 |
| Other designations | SN 2006gy |
 Related media on Commons | |
SN 2006gy was an extremely energetic supernova, also referred to as a hypernova,[4] that was discovered on September 18, 2006. It was first observed by Robert Quimby and P. Mondol,[2][5] and then studied by several teams of astronomers using facilities that included the Chandra, Lick, and Keck Observatories.[6][7] In May 2007, NASA and several of the astronomers announced the first detailed analyses of the supernova, describing it as the "brightest stellar explosion ever recorded".[8] In October 2007, Quimby announced that SN 2005ap had broken SN 2006gy's record as the brightest-ever recorded supernova, and several subsequent discoveries are brighter still.[9][10] Time magazine listed the discovery of SN 2006gy as third in its Top 10 Scientific Discoveries for 2007.[11]
- ^ Gal-Yam, A. (2012). "Luminous Supernovae". Science. 337 (6097): 927–32. arXiv:1208.3217. Bibcode:2012Sci...337..927G. doi:10.1126/science.1203601. PMID 22923572. S2CID 206533034.
- ^ a b c "List of Supernovae". Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Chandrawas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Leahy, Denis A. (2008). "Superluminous Supernovae SN2006gy, SN2005gj and SN2005ap: Signs for a New Explosion Mechanism". American Astronomical Society. 212: 255. Bibcode:2008AAS...212.6401L.
- ^ IAU Circular No. 8754 Archived 2007-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 8, 2007
- ^ Ofek, E. O.; Cameron, P. B.; Kasliwal, M. M.; Gal-Yam, A.; Rau, A.; Kulkarni, S. R.; Frail, D. A.; Chandra, P.; Cenko, S. B.; Soderberg, A. M.; Immler, S. (2007). "SN 2006gy: An Extremely Luminous Supernova in the Galaxy NGC 1260". The Astrophysical Journal. 659 (1): L13–L16. arXiv:astro-ph/0612408. Bibcode:2007ApJ...659L..13O. doi:10.1086/516749. S2CID 51811699.
- ^ Smith, Nathan; Li, Weidong; Foley, Ryan J.; Wheeler, J. Craig; Pooley, David; Chornock, Ryan; Filippenko, Alexei V.; Silverman, Jeffrey M.; Quimby, Robert; Bloom, Joshua S.; Hansen, Charles (2007). "SN 2006gy: Discovery of the Most Luminous Supernova Ever Recorded, Powered by the Death of an Extremely Massive Star like η Carinae". The Astrophysical Journal. 666 (2): 1116–1128. arXiv:astro-ph/0612617. Bibcode:2007ApJ...666.1116S. doi:10.1086/519949. S2CID 14785067.
- ^ NASA's Chandra Sees Brightest Supernova Ever Archived 2017-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, NASA Press Release on the Discovery, May 7, 2007
- ^ Stevenson, D. S. (2014). "The Mysterious SN 2005ap and Luminous Blue Flashes". Extreme Explosions. Astronomers' Universe. pp. 239–251. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-8136-2_10. ISBN 978-1-4614-8135-5.
- ^ Quimby, R. M. (2012). "Superluminous Supernovae". Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. 7: 22–28. Bibcode:2012IAUS..279...22Q. doi:10.1017/S174392131201263X.
- ^ "Top 10 Scientific Discoveries: #3. Brightest Supernova Recorded" Archived 2009-04-28 at the Wayback Machine, Time, 2007