[vsnet-chat 75] Re: Awaiting a supernova...closeby!

[Fraser Farrell <fraserf@dove.net.au>]

G'day Berto,

On 1997-02-13 lagmonar@csir.co.za said to all:
   >It would of course be great if some of the mentioned proceedings
   >or SSXS listings/tables/charts could be accessed via the web.

You could try the Astrophysics Data System at:
http://adswww.harvard.edu
They have the major journals online, plus over 200 catalogues; and it
gets bigger & better each time I look.  Quite a lot of the more obscure
catalogues are first published in journals.

The best FTP site for catalogues would be the CDS (the people who also
run SIMBAD):
http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/pub/cats/
email: questions@simbad.u-strasbg.fr
This site seems to have every catalogue in existence and there are some
real gems available.  The complete index is available online from the
/pub/cats/ directory - and I would suggest you get it on your first
visit, log off, then decompress and read the thing; before visiting
again.  It's a big site and you can waste a lot of time just looking
around.  Wait for a Full Moon night <g>.

In my experience, the fastest download rates occur between 18:00 - 01:00
UT.  Surprising, as I would have expected everyone in Europe/Africa to
be logged on then.... Parts of it are mirrored at NASA Astronomical Data
Centre but I haven't found any other mirrors yet.

   >Pondering on the issue, I wonder how meaningful it would be to
   >monitor those 'nearby' targets with telescopes specifically (ie
   >only) for their eventual S/N act.

About as exciting as watching grass grow; therefore a perfect job for an
automated telescope.

   >According to the theory the S/N explosion happens in a matter of
   >milliseconds and so (I think) is the initial rise in brightness.
   >From one moment to the next, RR Tel would increase from 11 to sub-0
   >magnitude.

Ouch!  From now on I will keep welder's goggles within reach <g>

   >Surely something is (known to be) cooking prior to the event, like
   >specific or increased radio signaIs, neutrino spurs...but thinking
   >of amateurs with optical equipment can they expect to see something
   >indicative of the coming?

A great flash of light?

This reminds me of the telegram that an enqiring American millionaire
sent to an observatory many years ago: "IS THERE LIFE ON MARS? REPLY
PAID 1000 WORDS."  The answer was: "NOBODY KNOWS", repeated 500 times!

SN 1987A is the only case where we have an extensive observational
record of the star before it exploded.  Over 100 years of photographs -
including one that finished less than one _hour_ before the bang -
showed absolutely nothing unusual about SK-69 202.

An interesting piece of trivia for you.  If the nearby star Kruger 60
has a planet with astronomers on it, they are only now just witnessing
SN 1987A.  I predict that if Star Trek-type interstellar travel becomes
commonplace, there is going to be a real problem with SN names.... ;)

   >Personally I believe that S Dor's happy waves are already
   >underway. They have to travel far though!

Hmmm, the light of a gibbous Moon enamating from a point source?  I had
better use _arc_ welder's goggles!

My guess is that the next bright SN will not be any of the "obvious" SN
candidates; but some obscure star nobody has bothered to watch before.
Of course I will be happy to be proved wrong by an SN Betelgeuse or Eta
Carinae!


cheers,

Fraser Farrell
Variable Stars Group
Astronomical Society of South Australia

WWW: http://vsnet.gist.net.au/assa/   email: fraserf@dove.net.au
traditional:  GPO Box 199, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia

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