[M95]

Supernova 2012aw in M95

Supernova 2012aw, first named PSN J10435372+1140177, was discovered on March 16, 2012 by Paolo Fagotti, Bastia Umbra, Italy at red magnitude 15. Additional observations were reported by Alessandro Dimai of the Italian Supernovae Search Project with the Col Drusciè Observatory (telescope Maioni - SC 11" f/6,3) on two unfiltered CCD images. An independent discovery was acjieved by Jure Skvarc on four CCD images taken with the 0.60-m f/3.3 Cichocki telescope from the Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. Peter Brown used the Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) on board the Swift satellite to observe it on March 19, and found it at visual magnitude 13.7, rapidly rising. The same day, it was found rapidly rising at mag 13.1. It seems to have peaked around March 22-24 at visual mag 13.0 to 12.7, and at end of March through early April 2012, stayed at 13th magnitude. It began to fade slowly to mag 13.5 in early May and 13.6 in early June, 2012.

This supernova is located 60" west and 115" south of the center of M95 in outer spiral arms. As also implied by this location, it was determined to be of type IIP by observations with the Swift satellite observatory. The plateau of almost constant brightness (near mag 13-13.5) was well observed from March well to early June, 2012.

References:

Hartmut Frommert
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Last Modification: June 14, 2012