SN 2005ap
Encyclopedia
SN 2005ap was an extremely energetic type II
supernova
. It is reported to be the brightest supernova yet recorded, twice as bright as the previous record holder, SN 2006gy
. § It was discovered on 3 March 2005 on unfiltered optical images taken with the 0.45 m ROTSE-IIIb (Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment) telescope, which is located at the McDonald observatory
in West Texas
, by Robert Quimby
as part of the Texas Supernova Search
that also discovered SN 2006gy. Although it was discovered before SN 2006gy it was not recognised as being brighter until October 2007. As it occurred 4.7 billion light years from Earth it was not visible to the naked eye.
Although SN 2005ap was twice as bright at its peak than SN 2006gy it was not as energetic overall as the former brightened and dimmed in a typical period of a few days whereas the latter remained very bright for many months. SN 2005ap was about 300 times brighter than normal for a type II supernova. It has been speculated that this supernova involved the formation of a quark star
. Quimby has suggested that the supernova is of a new type distinct from the standard type II supernova and his research group have identified five other supernova similar to SN 2005ap and SCP 06F6
, all of which were extremely bright and lacking in hydrogen.
Type II supernova
A Type II supernova results from the rapid collapse and violent explosion of a massive star. A star must have at least 9 times, and no more than 40–50 times the mass of the Sun for this type of explosion. It is distinguished from other types of supernova by the presence of hydrogen in its spectrum...
supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
. It is reported to be the brightest supernova yet recorded, twice as bright as the previous record holder, SN 2006gy
SN 2006gy
SN 2006gy was an extremely energetic supernova, sometimes referred to as a hypernova or quark-nova, that was discovered on September 18, 2006. It was first observed by Robert Quimby and P. Mondol, and then studied by several teams of astronomers using facilities that included the Chandra, Lick, and...
. § It was discovered on 3 March 2005 on unfiltered optical images taken with the 0.45 m ROTSE-IIIb (Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment) telescope, which is located at the McDonald observatory
McDonald Observatory
The McDonald Observatory is an astronomical observatory located near the unincorporated community of Fort Davis in Jeff Davis County, Texas, United States. The facility is located on Mount Fowlkes and Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains of West Texas...
in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
, by Robert Quimby
Robert Quimby
Robert Quimby is an American astronomer who received his Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin. As a lead member of the Texas Supernova Survey, Quimby and his team used the relatively small 18-inch ROTSE-IIIb robotic telescope on McDonald Observatory’s Mount Fowlkes, along with...
as part of the Texas Supernova Search
Texas Supernova Search
Texas Supernova Search is one of many ongoing projects to identify and record supernova events. The project is led by Robert Quimby and to date has found 35 supernovae, 29 of which they were the first to report on...
that also discovered SN 2006gy. Although it was discovered before SN 2006gy it was not recognised as being brighter until October 2007. As it occurred 4.7 billion light years from Earth it was not visible to the naked eye.
Although SN 2005ap was twice as bright at its peak than SN 2006gy it was not as energetic overall as the former brightened and dimmed in a typical period of a few days whereas the latter remained very bright for many months. SN 2005ap was about 300 times brighter than normal for a type II supernova. It has been speculated that this supernova involved the formation of a quark star
Quark star
A quark star or strange star is a hypothetical type of exotic star composed of quark matter, or strange matter. These are ultra-dense phases of degenerate matter theorized to form inside particularly massive neutron stars....
. Quimby has suggested that the supernova is of a new type distinct from the standard type II supernova and his research group have identified five other supernova similar to SN 2005ap and SCP 06F6
SCP 06F6
SCP 06F6 is an astronomical object of unknown type, discovered on 21 February 2006 in the constellation Boötesduring a survey of galaxy cluster CL 1432.5+3332.8 with the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys Wide Field Channel....
, all of which were extremely bright and lacking in hydrogen.
