te r io r g a la x ie s ; th e
la s t o n e
in
our own
g a la x y , th e M ilk y W a y , a p p e a r s to b e th e
o n e fo u n d b y K e p le rinth e c o n s te lla tio n
O p h io c u sin1 6 0 4 .
O b s e rv a tio n s
a t
E S O
w ith
th e
1 -m
a n d
5 0 -c m
p h o to m e trie
te le s c o p e s
h a v e s h o w n th a t s u p e rn o v a 1 9 8 6 G w a s
s till
b rig h te n in g
a t
a
ra te
o f
a b o u t
0 .0 5 m a g /d a y o n
M a y 1 1 .2U T .O nth is
d a te ,
th e
V -m a g n itu d e
w as
1 1 .4
a n d
c o lo u r in d e x
(B -V )w as
1 .1
m a g n itu d e .
C C O
im a g e s
in
d iffe re n t c o lo u rs
w e re
e x p o s e d a t t h e O a n is h
1 .5 -m
te le s c o p e
(c f.
th e
n o te
b y
G a lle tta
in
th is
M e s s e n g e f).
L o w - d is p e r s io n
lO S
a n d
C C O
s p e c tra
h a v e
b e e n
o b ta in e d
w ith
th eE S O
1 .5 -m s p e c tro s c o p ic te le s c o p e
a n d
w ith
th e
2 .2 -m
te le s c o p e
(c f.
th e
n o te b y d i S e r e g o A lig h ie ri). T h e y s h o w a
ty p ic a l T y p e
I s u p e rn o v a
s p e c tru m
b e \ue000
fo re
m a x im u m ,
s ig n ific a n tly
re d d e n e d
b y a b s o rp tio ninC e nA . O f s p e c ia l in te r \ue000
e s t a re v e ry h ig h d is p e rs io n s p e c tra l o b \ue000
s e rv a tio n s , o b ta in e d
w ith
th e
C A S P E C
s p e c tro g ra p h
a t
th e
E S O
3 .6 -m
te le \ue000
scope. The
C a
11
H and
K Iin e s a n d th e
N aI 0
lin e s s h o w
a c o m p lic a te d
s tru c \ue000
tu re
w ith
n o
le s s
th a n
s ix
v e ry
d e e p
a b s o r p tio n c o m p o n e n ts . F ro m a p re lim i\ue000
n a r y a n a ly s is , it w o u ld
a p p e a r th a t fo u r
o fth e s e a re c a u s e d b y a b s o r p tio n o f th e
lig h t fro m th e s u p e rn o v ain fo u r s e p a ra te
in te r s te lla r c lo u d sinC enA . O neis due
t om a tte rin th e M ilk y W a y a n d o n e m a y
b e lo n g
t o
a n
in te r g a la c tic
c lo u d
b e \ue000
tw e e n
Cen A
a n d
th e
M ilk y
W ay,
th e
e x is te n c e
o f w h ic h
w a s s u r m is e d
ina n
e a r lie r
E S O
s tu d y
o f
th is
g a la x y
(O 'O d o ric o
e t
a l.,
1 9 8 5 ,
A p.J
2 9 9 ,
p .8 5 2 ).
T h e s e o b s e rv a tio n s , a n d th e
p o s itio n
n e a r th e
m id d le o f th e
d u s t b a n d , in d i\ue000
c a te th a t th e s u p e rn o v ais s itu a te d w e il
in s id e
th e
g a la x y
a n d
th a t
it s
lig h t
is
d im m e d
b y a b o u t 4 m a g n itu d e s d u e to
o b s c u r in g
d u s t. H a d
it b e e n s itu a te d
in
a n
u n o b s c u re d
re g io n ,
it s
m a g n itu d e
w o u ld
h a v e
b e e n
a b o u t 7 .5 , m a k in g
it
th e
b rig h te s t s u p e rn o v a
inth is c e n tu ry .
O ueto C e n A 's p e c u lia r s tru c tu re (s o m e
a s tro n o m e rs c o n s id e r it to b e th e re s u lt
o fa c o llis io n a m o n g t w o g a la x ie s ) , it h a s
not yet
b e e n
p o s s ib le
t o
m e a s u re
a n
a c c u ra te
d is ta n c e to
th is
g a la x y . H o w \ue000
e v e r, if th e in tr in s ic b r ig h tn e s so f 1 9 8 6 G
is
th a t
of a
n o rm a l T y p e I s u p e rn o v a ,
th e n
th e
d is ta n c e
t o
Cen A
w o u ld
b e
a ro u n d
2 -3
M e g a p a rs e c
(7 -1 0
m illio n
lig h t-y e a rs ),
o r
o n ly
3 -4
tim e s
fa rth e r
a w a y th a n th e A n d r o m e d a N e b u la . C e n
A
m ay
th e re fo re
e v e n
b e
a n
o u tly in g
m e m b e r o f th e L o c a l G r o u p o f G a la x ie s .
A t a d is ta n c eo f3 M e g a p a rs e c , th e to ta l
ra d io e n e rg y w o u ld b e a ro u n d 1 0
5 8
e rg s ,
c o rre s p o n d in g
t o
1 0
4
s o la r
m asses.
C le a rly , a m o s t e n e rg e tic e v e n t h a s ta \ue000
k e n
p la c e
in
Cen A
ra th e r re c e n tly ; th e
v e lo c ity
d is p e r s io n
o f
th e
in te r s te lla r
c lo u d s m a y b e a r e lic t o f it.
T h eE S Oo b s e r v a tio n s a re c o n tin u in g .
T h e fo llo w in g
E S O
s ta ff a n d v is itin g a s \ue000
tro n o m e rs
h a v e
p a rtic ip a te d
s o
fa r:
I.B u e s ,P .R . C h ris te n s e n ,S .d i S e re g o
A lig h ie r i,
H .
O u e rb e c k ,
G .
G a lle tta ,
L .K o h o u te k ,
P .
M a g a in ,
P .E .
N is s e n ,
O .R e im e r s ,
R .
S c h u lte
L a d b e c k
a n d
J .S o m m e r-L a rs e n .
T h ee d ito r
C C D
O b s e rv a tio n s o f S u p e rn o v a 1 9 8 6 G
inCen A
G .G A L L E T T A ,A s tr o n o m ic a l In s titu te , U n iv e r s ityo f P a d o v a , Ita ly
F ig u re
1 :A
s a n d w ic ho f tw o p h o to g r a p h so fG enA , o n e ta k e n
b e fo re
th ee x p lo s io no f th e
s u p e rn o v a a n d o n e a fte r.T h es m a " p o in t a t th e c e n tr eo f th e w h ite c ir c leis th e p o s itio no f
1986G, as
m e a s u re d
o n
a
G G O
fra m e ,
o b ta in e d
w ith
th e
O a n is h
1 .5 4 -m
te le s c o p e .
T h e
d ia m e te ro f th e w h ite c ir c leis a b o u t1 8 a r c s e c o n d s .
A C C O im a g e o f th e n e w ly d is c o v e r e d
s u p e rn o v a
in
N G C
5 1 2 8
w as
o b ta in e d
w ith
th e
O a n is h
1 .5 2 -m
te le s c o p e
o n
M a y8 , 1 9 8 6 . B y c o m p a r is o n w ith p r e v i\ue000
o u s im a g e s o f th e s a m e a re a it a p p e a r s
th a t th e s u p e rn o v aislo c a te din a lu m in \ue000
o u s p o rtio no fth e d u s t b a n d , s im ila r t o a
h o lein
th e
d is k o f g a s s u rro u n d in g
th e
g a la x y(F ig .1 ).
T h is d is k a n d th e r e la te d d u s t la n eis
p r o b a b ly th e r e s u lt o fa re c e n t c o llis io n
w ith
a g a s
c lo u d
o r a g a s -ric h
s y s te m ,
w h o s e a g e h a s b e e n e s tim a te d to a b o u t
3x1 0
8
y e a rs (T u b b s ,A .0 ., 1 9 8 0 ,Ap. J
2 4 1 ,9 6 9 ). A
c o n v in c in g
p r o o f o f th is
is
th a t th e
ro ta tio n
a x is
o f th e
g a s
c o in \ue000
e id e s w ith th e m a jo r a x is o f th e u n d e r ly \ue000
in g
g a la x y
(G ra h a m ,J .A .,1 9 7 9 ,A p.J
2 3 2 ,6 0 ; M a r c e lin ,M . e t a l., 1 9 8 2 ,N a\ue000
tu re ,2 9 7 ,3 8 )w h ile th e s ta rs w ith in th e
g a la x y
s h a re
a
c y lin d r ic a l
ro ta tio n
a ro u n d
th e
m in o r
a x is
(B e rto la
e t
a l.,
1985, Ap.J ,
2 9 2 ,
L5 1 ), i.e . p e r p e n d i\ue000
c u la r to th e g a s ro ta tio n a x is .
O n th e b a s is o f th e s e in v e s tig a tio n s , it
a p p e a rs
th a t,
in
th e
re g io n
w h e re
th e
s u p e r n o v a is lo c a te d , th e m e a n g a s m o \ue000
tio n s
r e la tiv e
t o
th e
s u n
a re
a ro u n d
3 4 0 -3 8 0km s-
1
,
b u t th a t th e s te lla r m o \ue000
tio n s ,
e x tra p o la te d
t o
th e
sam e
p o in t,
w o u ld
b e
a ro u n d
500 km s-
1
o r
m o re .
A c c o r d in g ly ,
th e
s u p e rn o v a
in
th is
p e c u lia r g a la x y(w hic h
isn o t o b la te b u t
tria x ia l) m u s t b e lo n g to th e o ld
p o p u la \ue000
tio n
o f th e
u n d e r ly in g
s te lla r s y s te m , if
it s
v e lo c ity
is
h ig h e r
th a n
450 km s-
1
\u2022
H o w e v e r, th e v e lo c ity o f th e c e n tra l o b \ue000
je c t o f th e s u p e rn o v a c a n o n ly b e m e a \ue000
s u re d
at a
la te r s ta g e ,
w hen
itis
w e il
p a s t m a x im u m . T h e
in te rs te lla r a b s o r p \ue000
tio n
lin e sw hic h
w e re o b s e rv e d
a tE S O
a t h ig h
r e s o lu tio n
th e n
re p re s e n t d iffe \ue000
re n t la y e rs (c lo u d s )inth e d u s t b a n d .O n
th e c o n tra ry , if th e s u p e rn o v a b e lo n g s to
th e s ta rs c o n n e c te d to th e g a s d is k , its
v e lo c ity m u s t b e lo w e r, b u tinth a t cas e
w e s h a ll b e o b lig e d to re v is e th e a g eo f
th e c o llis io n p h e n o m e n o n (c f. th e a r tic le
b y
T u b b s ).
T h is
h y p o th e s is
is
a ls o
in
c o n tra d ic tio n
w ith
th e
T y p e
I a p p e a r\ue000
ance of 1986G.
C le a r ly ,
itis
o fg re a t
im p o rta n c e
t o
c o n tin u e
th e
o b s e rv a tio n s o f th is
in te r\ue000
e s tin g o b je c t.
2
