SN 2003gd was a Type II-P supernova explosion in the Phantom Galaxy, located in the constellation Pisces. SN 2003gd was discovered on 12 June 2003 by Robert Evans, using a 0.31m reflector, and its discovery was confirmed on 13 June 2003 by R. H. McNaught using the 1.0m telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory.[5]

SN 2003gd
Spitzer Space Telescope image of a dust cloud at the position of the SN 2003gd explosion
Event typeSupernova
Type II-P[1]
Datec. 30.3 million years ago
(discovered 12 June 2003[1] by Robert Evans)
ConstellationPisces
Right ascension01h 36m 42.65s[2]
Declination+15° 44′ 20.9″[2]
EpochJ2000.0
Galactic coordinates138.6379° −45.7477°[1]
Distance30.3 ± 5.9 Mly (9.3 ± 1.8 Mpc)[3]
HostPhantom Galaxy[1]
ProgenitorRed supergiant[4] c. 8 solar masses
Peak apparent magnitude13.2[1]
Other designationsSN 2003gd
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This supernova was located along the outer edge of a spiral arm,[6] ~7.3 kpc from the galactic nucleus[3] at an angular offset 13.2 east and 161.0″ south of the core.[1] It was discovered at the end of its "plateau phase", approximately 86 days after its estimated explosion date of 18 March 2003. Despite a lower tail luminosity in the light curve, this appears to be a normal Type II-p.[3] A light echo from nearby dust was detected in archival images from 2004.[7]

Messier 74 had been observed approximately 300 days before the explosion with the Gemini Telescope and about 200 days before using the Hubble Space Telescope. Astronomers were able to identify an object in these pre-supernova images that was in the same position as SN 2003gd, and which is believed to be the supernova's progenitor star. This progenitor star was a red supergiant with a mass of ~8 M, consistent with the expectations of existing single-star stellar evolution models. It is the first progenitor of a normal type II-P supernova to have ever been detected.[8][9][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Barbon, R.; et al. (2008). Asiago Supernova Catalogue. Vol. 1. Bibcode:2008yCat....1.2024B. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b McNaught, R. H. (June 2003). Green, D. W. E. (ed.). "Supernova 2003gd in M74". IAU Circular. 8152 (8152): 3. Bibcode:2003IAUC.8152....3M.
  3. ^ a b c Hendry, M. A.; et al. (May 2005). "A study of the Type II-P supernova 2003gd in M74". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 359 (3): 906–926. arXiv:astro-ph/0501341. Bibcode:2005MNRAS.359..906H. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08928.x. S2CID 119479585.
  4. ^ a b Maund, Justyn R.; Smartt, Stephen J. (April 2009). "The Disappearance of the Progenitors of Supernovae 1993J and 2003gd". Science. 324 (5926): 486–488. arXiv:0903.3772. Bibcode:2009Sci...324..486M. doi:10.1126/science.1170198. PMID 19299586. S2CID 104083.
  5. ^ Evans, R.; McNaught, R. H. (June 2003). Green, D. W. E. (ed.). "Supernova 2003gd in M74". IAU Circular. 8150 (8150): 2. Bibcode:2003IAUC.8150....2E.
  6. ^ Michałowski, Michał J.; et al. (June 2020). "Connection of supernovae 2002ap, 2003gd, 2013ej, and 2019krl in M 74 with atomic gas accretion and spiral structure". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 638: 7. arXiv:2004.11391. Bibcode:2020A&A...638A..47M. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202037692. S2CID 216144605. A47.
  7. ^ Sugerman, Ben E. K. (October 2005). "Discovery of a Light Echo from SN 2003gd". The Astrophysical Journal. 632 (1): L17–L20. arXiv:astro-ph/0509009. Bibcode:2005ApJ...632L..17S. doi:10.1086/497578. S2CID 11853657.
  8. ^ "First Detection of a Progenitor Star from a Normal Type II-P Supernova". Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  9. ^ Smartt, Stephen J.; et al. (2004). "Detection of a Red Supergiant Progenitor Star of a Type II-Plateau Supernova". Science. 303 (5657): 499–503. arXiv:astro-ph/0401235. Bibcode:2004Sci...303..499S. doi:10.1126/science.1092967. PMID 14739452. S2CID 29617248.
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