NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2007B-0332
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2007B-0332 |
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PI: Armin Rest, NOAO, arest@ctio.noao.edu
Address: CTIO, Colina El Pino S/N, La Serena, Chile
CoI: R. Chris Smith, NOAO
CoI: Nicholas B. Suntzeff, Texas A & M University
CoI: Douglas Welch, McMaster University
CoI: Christopher Stubbs, Harvard/CfA
CoI: Arti Garg, Harvard/CfA
CoI: Pete Challis, Harvard/CfA
CoI: Michael Wood-Vasey, Harvard/CfA
CoI: Guillermo Damke, CTIO
CoI: Andrew Newman, WA
CoI: Knut Olsen, NOAO
CoI: Alejandro Clocchiatti, PUC
CoI: Dante Minniti, PUC
CoI: Lorenzo Morelli, PUC
CoI: Kem Cook, NOAO and LLN
CoI: Mark Huber, LLNL
CoI: Sergei Nikolaev, LLNL
CoI: J.L. Prieto, OSU
CoI: Andy Becker, FNAL
Title: Echoes of Historical Supernovae in the Milky Way Galaxy
Abstract:
We propose to search for echoes of the original light from historic
Galactic supernovae (SNe) to enable follow-up spectroscopy and determine
the nature and properties of the closest examples of these important
events. The SuperMACHO collaboration recently discovered echoes from
three ancient SNe in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The echo motions can
be traced back to three of the youngest supernova remnants (SNRs) in the
LMC. These three remnants have also been identified as Type Ia events,
based on the X-ray spectral abundances. We have dated these echoes to
events 400-800 years ago, and we have obtained spectroscopy of the echo
light, showing at least in one case the event to be unambiguously a Type
Ia SN .
We have realized that the opportunity represented by the study of
echoes from historical SNe is even more fascinating for Galactic SNe,
providing the possibility of getting spectroscopy of historical SNe such
as Tycho's, Kepler's, SN1006, and others. In previously granted NOAO
time, we began to obtain images of regions of significant dust
concentration near these Galactic SNRs. We have obtained first epoch
and some second epoch images for Tycho, Cas A, 3C 58, and Crab Nebula in
the northern sky. Unfortunately, due to bad weather conditions we
observed only 1 out of 4 second epoch nights, thus we need additional
observations to obtain the necessary second epoch images in order to
discover and study echoes of these important Galactic SNe, and confirm
the possible detection of light echo complexes detected in the previous
runs.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2007B-0332 |
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