SN 2007uy
Encyclopedia
SN 2007UY was a supernova
that occurred in the spiral galaxy
NGC 2770
. It was discovered by Yoji Hirose on December 31, 2007. While interesting in its own right, it was overshadowed by SN 2008D
, a supernova whose burst was observed serendipitously
while SN 2007UY was being studied by Swift
, something unprecedented in astronomy.
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...
that occurred in the spiral galaxy
Spiral galaxy
A spiral galaxy is a certain kind of galaxy originally described by Edwin Hubble in his 1936 work The Realm of the Nebulae and, as such, forms part of the Hubble sequence. Spiral galaxies consist of a flat, rotating disk containing stars, gas and dust, and a central concentration of stars known as...
NGC 2770
NGC 2770
NGC 2770 is a type SASc spiral galaxy located about 88 million light years away, in the constellation Lynx.It has been referred to as the 'Supernova Factory' as three supernovas have occurred there recently: SN 1999eh, SN 2007uy, and SN 2008D...
. It was discovered by Yoji Hirose on December 31, 2007. While interesting in its own right, it was overshadowed by SN 2008D
SN 2008D
SN 2008D is a supernova detected with NASA's Swift X-ray telescope. The explosion of the supernova precursor star, in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770 SN 2008D is a supernova detected with NASA's Swift X-ray telescope. The explosion of the supernova precursor star, in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770 SN 2008D...
, a supernova whose burst was observed serendipitously
Serendipity
Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful without looking for it. The word has been voted as one of the ten English words hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company. However, due to its...
while SN 2007UY was being studied by Swift
Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission
The Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission consists of a robotic spacecraft called Swift, which was launched into orbit on 20 November 2004, 17:16:00 UTC on a Delta II 7320-10C expendable launch vehicle. Swift is managed by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and was developed by an international...
, something unprecedented in astronomy.
External links
- IAUC 8908 IAU CircularIAU CircularThe International Astronomical Union Circulars are notices that give information about astronomical phenomena. IAUCs are issued by the IAU's Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams at irregular intervals for the discovery and follow-up information regarding such objects as planetary...
announcing the discovery.