REVIEW
Supernova 1954J (Variable 12) in NGC 2403 Unmasked
Not yet reviewed by Pith; the record is open.
This paper has not been read by Pith yet. Machine review is queued; the pith claim, tier, and objections will appear here once it completes.
SPECIMEN: schema-true, not a live event
T0 review · schema-true
One-sentence machine reading of the paper's core claim.
pith:XXXXXXXX · record.json · timestamp
Supernova 1954J (Variable 12) in NGC 2403 Unmasked
read the original abstract
We have confirmed that the precursor star of the unusual Supernova 1954J (also known as Variable 12) in NGC 2403 survived what appears to have been a super-outburst, similar to the 1843 Great Eruption of eta Carinae in the Galaxy. The apparent survivor has changed little in brightness and color over the last eight years, and a Keck spectrum reveals characteristics broadly similar to those of eta Car. This is further suggested by our identification of the actual outburst-surviving star in high-resolution images obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. We reveal this ``supernova impostor'' as a highly luminous (M_V^0 ~ -8.0 mag), very massive (M_initial >~ 25 Msun) eruptive star, now surrounded by a dusty (A_V ~ 4 mag) nebula, similar to eta Car's famous Homunculus.
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.