While we wait for Betelgeuse to explode ;-) , there is another supernova which has the potential to be the brightest for some time
https://wis-tns.weiz...l/object/2020ue
Discovered today at mag 15 by Koichi Itagaki and confirmed as a type Ia, this could reach brighter than mag 12 depending on the extinction in the host galaxy. (SN 1939A, another type Ia in the same galaxy reached mag 11.9)
Cheers
Robin
Currently mag 12.8 as measured by Itagaki compared with his 14.9 discovery magnitude
https://www.flickr.com/photos/snimages/49401526653/
I measured it at 12.759CV on Jan 18.138.
Neither the BAAVSS or AAVSO databases will accept the designation SN 2020ue yet, but hopefully this will be rectified before too long following a couple of e-mails sent today.
Gary
Observations of this SN can now be entered into the BAAVSS database as SN 2020ue or SN2020ue. Thanks Andy!
AAVSO still haven't updated VSX though, so at this time you still can't get the data into their database.
Brightened further to 12.632CV on Jan 19.222UT
Gary
Finally a clear night last night so was able to take a low noise spectrum at R~500 using the ALPY 600. Using SNID gives an exquisitely good detailed match to several Ia supernovae still a few days from maximum (black is my spectrum red is best match from SNID
Cheers
Robin
Had a visual this morning at 1.30am in my 60 cm F4.5. I thought it's brightness was roughly (very) somewhere between GSC 293-0572, mag 13.4 and HIP 62022, mag 11.3.
Andrew
The AAVSO have now added this supernova to VSX, so you can now upload your observations to the AID. There is also a sequence available if you plot a chart using VSP www.aavso.org/vsp
May have reached maximum - 12.504CV on Jan 21.079 UT.
Gary
From the AAVSO light curve it looks like it reached maximum (~12.3 CV) on 25/26th Jan.
No chance to observe here for 2 weeks straight now (Even the odd clear spell has been bracketed by rain showers) but James Foster managed to get a few spectra and added them to our database.
I have measured it at 12.7 (unfiltered CCD) using the AAVSO chart (X25129DUM) and AstroArt 5. The telescope was the CHI-1 (Chile) on the Telescope Live network (Planewave CDK24, 60sec) - date 2020-02-03.360
Slow decline has been ongoing since Jan 28, following a short flat maximum. Here is my plot up to and including Feb 02.073 UT
Gary