ticho writes:
"Astronomers wanting a closer look at the recent Type Ia supernova that erupted in M82 back in January are in luck. Thanks to NASA's SOFIA, near-infrared observations have been made from 43,000 feet - 29,000 feet higher than some of the world's loftiest ground-based telescopes.
During a recent 10-hour flight over the Pacific, researchers aboard SOFIA turned their attention to SN2014J, one of the closest Type Ia 'standard candle' supernovas that have ever been seen. It appeared suddenly in the relatively nearby Cigar Galaxy (M82) in mid-January and has since been an exciting target of observation for scientists and amateur skywatchers alike.
More at http://www.sott.net/article/275100-SOFIA-gives-scientists-a-first-class-view-of-a-supernova"
(Score: 3, Funny) by aristarchus on Friday March 07 2014, @08:29PM
A telescope on a plane is cool! In fact, it is super-cool, as in that it is actually super-cooled. And just imagine dealing with problems like vibration, in spite of being above most of the atmosphere.
And it is nice that NASA has identified Nickel and Iron in the M82 supernova. We will know where to get more, if we ever run out, and it's only 12 million light-years away!
(Score: 2) by ticho on Saturday March 08 2014, @05:59AM
For all we know, all the nickel and iron could already be mined and spent away by someone - after all, this happened twelve millions of years ago. :)
(Score: 1) by aristarchus on Wednesday March 12 2014, @04:17AM
Yes, that was the point, although it was somewhat obscured by space-time.
(Score: 3, Informative) by dx3bydt3 on Friday March 07 2014, @08:52PM
I was lucky enough to see this supernova with my own eyes, using a 10" Newtonian telescope. We don't often have supernovae as bright and close as this one, so it is fortunate there is this rare opportunity to learn more about type 1a supernovae.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by aristarchus on Friday March 07 2014, @09:42PM
Hey! I saw it too! Twice! But only through an 8". Supernovae have had a crucial role in the history of astronomy, the "new stars" observed by Brahe and Kepler challenged the Aristotelian dogma that the heavens were unchanging. And gee, now even the "standard candle" of SNs is not supposed to be all that standard. Some things never change, we just don't know what they are.