Amateurs, Neutrinos, and the Next Type II Supernova (Abstract)

Volume 27 number 2 (1999)

Leif J. Robinson

Janet A. Mattei

Abstract

(Abstract only) The next Type II supernova in the Milky Way or a nearby member of the Local Group will likely be identified by an amateur astronomer. He or she will be guided by a near-real-time announcement of the detection of neutrinos emitted during the supernova progenitor’s core collapse; these detections will also constrain the search area to some hundreds of square degrees. Nevertheless, because the nascent supernova has a 70% chance of glimmering between magnitude 14 and 23, it could be days or weeks before its light rises to practical optical detectability. An excellent search device to image the entire neutrino error box is an ordinary 35-mm camera, which with minutes-long exposure can readily reach magnitude 13. However, raster-like surveys with narrow-field CCDs penetrate much deeper (magnitude 18 and fainter) with equivalent exposure and would detect a faint interloper much sooner. The AAVSO and Sky & Telescope will establish a worldwide communications network to disseminate the neutrino alert, establish detection protocols, act as the confirmation center to assure that any optical candidate has a high probability of being the sought-for supernova, and provide on-going information about the supernova’s location and brightness to all interested parties.