SN 1979C
 | |
| Event type | Type II supernova  |
|---|---|
| ? | |
| Date | 1979 |
| Constellation | Coma Berenices |
| Right ascension | 12h 22m 58.58s |
| Declination | +15° 47′ 52.7″ |
| Epoch | J2000.0 |
| Galactic coordinates | G271.2454 +76.8848 |
| Distance | 50 Mly |
| Remnant | ? |
| Host | M100 |
| Progenitor | ? |
| Progenitor type | ? |
| Colour (B-V) | ? |
| Peak apparent magnitude | +12.23 |
| Other designations | SN 1979C, AAVSO 1217+16 |
SN 1979C was a supernova about 50 Mlys away in Messier 100, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices.
On November 15, 2010 NASA announced that evidence of a black hole had been detected as a remnant of the supernova explosion.[1] Scientists from the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA evaluated data gathered between 1995 and 2007 from several space based observatories. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission, as well as the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton, and Germany's ROSAT all participated in the examination.
The researchers observed a steady source of X-rays and determined that it was likely that this was material being fed into the object either from the supernova or a binary companion. However, an alternative explanation would be a rapidly spinning pulsar, similar to the one in the center of the Crab Nebula. These two ideas account for several types of known X-ray sources. In the case of black holes the material that falls into the black hole emits the X-rays and not the black hole itself. Gas is heated by the fall into the strong gravitational field.
SN 1979C has also been studied in the radio frequency spectrum. A study was performed between 1985 and 1990 using the Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Trent Perrotto (Nov. 15, 2010). "NASA'S Chandra Finds Youngest Nearby Black Hole". NASA. Retrieved 2010-11-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Weiler, K. W. (1991). "The 10 year radio light curves for SN 1979C". Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X). vol. 380: p. 161-166.
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