It's Alive! The Supernova Impostor 1961V
- Creators
-
Van Dyk, Schuyler D.
-
Matheson, Thomas
Abstract
Reports of the death of the precursor of supernova (SN) 1961V in NGC 1058 are exaggerated. Consideration of the best astrometric data shows that the star, known as "Object 7," lies at the greatest proximity to SN 1961V and is the likely survivor of the "SN impostor" super-outburst. SN 1961V does not coincide with a neighboring radio source and is therefore not a radio SN. Additionally, the current properties of Object 7, based on data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, are consistent with it being a quiescent luminous blue variable (LBV). Furthermore, post-explosion non-detections by the Spitzer Space Telescope do not necessarily and sufficiently rule out a surviving LBV. We therefore consider, based on the available evidence, that it is still a bit premature to reclassify SN 1961V as a bona fide SN. The inevitable demise of this star, though, may not be too far off.
Additional Information
© 2012 American Astronomical Society. Received 2010 December 14; accepted 2011 November 30; published 2012 February 6. This work is based in part on archival data obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope, which is operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology under a contract with NASA. We thank Roberta Humphreys for her comments and the referee, whose recommendations helped improve the manuscript. We also thank Chris Kochanek for correcting us on our use of τ in the DUSTY modeling. Facilities: VLA, HST, SpitzerAttached Files
Published - VanDyk2012p17473Astrophys_J.pdf
Files
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:8eaeede5c13b7d7dd44be35c4a171882
|
898.1 kB | Preview Download |
Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 29889
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20120328-154640417
- NASA/JPL/Caltech
- Created
-
2012-03-29Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
-
2021-11-09Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)