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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2017 4:43:16 GMT
Hi All, Well time stands still for no one! 30 years ago on 24/02/1987 Sn1987A was discovered , some information here, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_1987AFor me it was a interesting story I was away up in the Goulburn river fishing with my late grand father and my uncle, my birthday is in late Feb 19th and we had a week away trout fishing and doing well. I woke one morning and now the dates elude me and I was scanning the sky and looked at the LMC and thought hey that's not right that seems to be a new star! I said to my family that's star is new it was not there a few days ago they laughed at me I cant be right , I said no that is a new star . Anyway I could not contact anyone for a few days. Once I got back home I contacted my local Astronomical Society which I was member ASF now the MPAS. And was quickly informed all about the new Nova and soon to be known as SN 1987A . I can not put my dates down accurately but I know the discovery was on 24/02/1987 and Albert Jones in NZ had seen it around that time and I had seen it a little before but told no one as I was fishing LOL. Anyway once home I took a picture which I have dug out of my shed and I hope I can get it to post. On the back of the pic has written 5 min exp FL 200mm at F4 Piggy back on 8" Reflector 01/03/1987. Does not mention film used ! I did post this on IIS but wanted to share with you guys as well. would be interesting to here your story? Regards David Save
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Post by howie1 on Feb 2, 2017 4:57:47 GMT
Great story and great image David! It's all too simple now with digital. Few appreciate the experience needed to balance ISO, shutter speed and emulsion development techniques to get a shot like yours. 30 years on and your post re that shot being film brings my youthful adventures all back too!
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Post by Dragon Man on Feb 2, 2017 11:40:05 GMT
Nice image Dave! I didn't get any photos of it but I remember it as clear as if it was yesterday. Boy-o-boy it was a bright bugger! For our Northern Hemisphere friends that wouldn't know where 1987A was, I marked Dave's photo for you:
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Post by Rick in NWArk on Feb 3, 2017 16:17:25 GMT
Very cool! I remember seeing it in Astronomy Magazine - I was in College at the time and in Astronomy classes and volunteered with the Astronomy prof. Would have loved to have been able to see it.
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Post by Dragon Man on Feb 4, 2017 11:46:52 GMT
It was pretty stunning Rick. It was as bright as Mars is at it's brightest (App Mag 3) for about 3 months! Now you can't even see it naked eye. But in close-up astrophotography you can image the planetary nebula it created which looks like a bright ring with pearls around it and two fainter large rings speeding away from the centre: 1987a Before (on the right) and 10 days after Supernovering (on the left): How it looks now. Close up:
Visually in a Telescope only the two brighter stars can be seen and if you squint just right you can make out a small faint smudge between them.
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Post by Rick in NWArk on Feb 5, 2017 3:17:07 GMT
That is just stunning, Ken, thank you!
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Post by howie1 on Feb 5, 2017 6:53:14 GMT
Yes indeed, top shots Ken which show the "evolution" of it's initial brightness, dimming and nebula. Very interesting. Ta!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2017 10:44:59 GMT
1987a would have been great to see. Back in 1987 I had never looked down a telescope and never really looked up. Paul
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Post by Dragon Man on Feb 5, 2017 11:36:42 GMT
1987a would have been great to see. Back in 1987 I had never looked down a telescope and never really looked up. Paul Interestingly, it wasn't really a telescopic object Paul. At the time I was a member of Ballarat Astronomical Society and we all observed it nightly by eye. The few times we looked at it in a telescope it looked pretty much the same as without. Same as looking at a medium star now in a telescope. It still looks like a medium star with or without a telescope But I know what you mean, you weren't into looking up back then.
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Post by ChrisV on Feb 5, 2017 11:39:50 GMT
Love the photo Daveg
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 7:34:03 GMT
Thanks Chris.
Well done Ken on your information.
Even though it was not super spectacular it was strange to see a star out of place in the sky then see it fade away. Maybe it is to early to dawn on anyone how significant this was in Astronomical history but when we are all gone I'm sure the history books or whatever will tell future Astronomers that it was a significant Astronomical event .
David.
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Post by Dragon Man on Feb 6, 2017 11:31:36 GMT
Dave, it should be recognised as a significant Astronomical event now because it was the brightest Supernovae since SN1604 in Ophiuchus back in the year 1604. But probably because so many are observed now, 1987a may be considered as 'just another one'
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2017 21:45:40 GMT
Dave, it should be recognised as a significant Astronomical event now because it was the brightest Supernovae since SN1604 in Ophiuchus back in the year 1604. But probably because so many are observed now, 1987a may be considered as 'just another one' The problem for me it's just not another one ! There has not been a Nova as bright since SN1987a so to me yes lots have been discovered since and will be in the future to see one like we did like 1987a it was truly wonderful to be able to witness a naked eye Nova. But who knows what may happen tonight Dave
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Post by Dragon Man on Feb 7, 2017 9:10:53 GMT
It wasn't 'just another one' for me either Dave LOL! I still tell people about it Yep, it was the only naked eye visible Supernova since 1604, and it is the only naked eye visible Supernova since 1987. Probably why I remember it so well.
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Post by Rick in NWArk on Feb 9, 2017 15:57:52 GMT
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Post by Dragon Man on Feb 9, 2017 16:42:05 GMT
That would be great to see Rick. Cygnus is visible very low on my Northern Horizon during our winter.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2017 13:09:17 GMT
Absolutely stunning!!!
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Post by Dragon Man on Feb 10, 2017 16:00:20 GMT
I thought it might be a good idea to show where 1987A was, and it's resulting Multi-Ring shaped Nebula is in relation to other objects in the sky. To start with, 1987A was originally GSC 09162-00821, a magnitude 12 blue supergiant star in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). LMC is a neighbouring Galaxy only 163,000 light years from us. With the LMC rising in the Eastern part of the Southern Circumpolar section of the sky, we can see in the Southern left corner of the Galaxy the naked eye visible object 'Tarantula Nebula' (NGC2070). To the right of the gaseous extremities of the Tarantula Nebula is where 1987A was located.
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