SN 2016aps
{{Short description|February 2016 supernova event in the constellation Draco}}
{{Infobox astronomical event
| epoch = J2000
| host =
| constellation = Draco
| event_type = Supernova
}}
SN 2016aps (also known as PS16aqy and AT2016aps) is the brightest and most energetic supernova explosion ever recorded.{{Cite web |last=Irving |first=Michael |date=2020-04-14 |title=Astronomers spot the brightest and most energetic supernova on record |url=https://newatlas.com/space/brightest-most-energetic-supernova/ |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=New Atlas |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Crane |first=Leah |date=2020-04-13 |title=Astronomers have spotted the most powerful supernova ever |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2240389-astronomers-have-spotted-the-most-powerful-supernova-ever/ |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}} It released more energy than ASASSN-15lh.{{Cite web |last=Carpineti |first=Alfredo |date=2020-04-13 |title=Astronomers Catch The Brightest Supernova Ever Seen |url=https://www.iflscience.com/astronomers-catch-the-brightest-supernova-ever-seen-55679 |access-date=2023-10-11 |website=IFLScience |language=en}} In addition to the sheer amount of energy released, an unusually large amount of the energy was released in the form of radiation, probably due to the interaction of the supernova ejecta and a previously lost gas shell.{{cite journal |last1=Nicholl |first1=Matt |last2=Blanchard |first2=Peter K. |last3=Berger |first3=Edo |last4=Chornock |first4=Ryan |last5=Margutti |first5=Raffaella |last6=Gomez |first6=Sebastian |last7=Lunnan |first7=Ragnild |last8=Miller |first8=Adam A. |last9=Fong |first9=Wen-fai |last10=Vigna-Gómez |first10=Alejandro |last11=Bhirombhakdi |first11=Kornpob |last12=Bieryla |first12=Allyson |last13=Challis |first13=Pete |last14=Laher |first14=Russ R. |last15=Masci |first15=Frank J. |last16=Paterson |first16=Kerry |title=An extremely energetic supernova from a very massive star in a dense medium |journal=Nature Astronomy |date=13 April 2020 |volume=4 |issue=9 |pages=893–899 |doi=10.1038/s41550-020-1066-7 |arxiv=2004.05840 |bibcode=2020NatAs...4..893N |s2cid=215744925 }}
Overview
The event was discovered on 22 February 2016 by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii,{{cite web |title=AT 2016aps |url=https://wis-tns.weizmann.ac.il/object/2016aps |access-date=14 April 2020 |publisher=Transient Name Server |date=25 February 2016}} with follow-up observations by the Hubble Space Telescope. The supernova occurred at a high z-value indicating a distance of 3.6 billion light-years.{{cite news |last1=Wall |first1=Mike |title=Boom! Distant star explosion is brightest ever seen |url=https://www.space.com/brightest-supernova-ever-discovered-sn2016aps.html |access-date=13 April 2020 |publisher=Space.com |date=13 April 2020}} and is located in the constellation Draco.{{cite web |title=Supernova PS16aqy |url=https://astrochallenge.com/objects/supernovae/6407/ |access-date=28 April 2020}} The maximum apparent magnitude was 18.11, the corresponding absolute magnitude −22.35.{{cite web |title=Photometrie for SN2016aps |url=https://sne.space/sne/SN2016aps/ |website=The Open Supernova Catalog |publisher=James Guillochon and Jerod Parrent |access-date=2020-04-15 |archive-date=2020-04-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419002430/https://sne.space/sne/SN2016aps/ |url-status=dead }}
The progenitor star is estimated to have had at least 50 to 100 solar masses. The spectrum of SN 2016aps revealed significant amounts of hydrogen, which is unexpected for supernovae of this type, which usually occur after nuclear fusion has consumed most of the star's hydrogen and the stars have shed the remaining hydrogen atmosphere. This led researchers to the theory that the progenitor star formed only shortly before the event from the merger of two very large stars, creating a "pulsational pair instability" supernova or possibly a full pair instability supernova.{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Kristen |title=Astronomers just discovered the brightest supernova ever seen |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/13/world/brightest-supernova-sn2016aps-scn/index.html |access-date=14 April 2020 |publisher=CNN |date=13 April 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Starr |first1=Michelle |title=Astronomers Detect The Most Powerful Star Explosion We've Ever Observed |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/this-exploding-star-was-the-most-powerful-we-ve-ever-spotted |access-date=15 April 2020 |publisher=Science Alert |date=14 April 2020}}
See also
- {{annotated link|Superluminous supernova}}
References
{{reflist|refs=
| title=Spectroscopic classification of two superluminous supernovae
| last1=Chornock | first1=R. | last2=Bhirombhakdi | first2=K.
| last3=Katebi | first3=R. | last4=Blanchard | first4=P.
| last5=Nicholl | first5=M. | last6=Berger | first6=E.
| display-authors=1 | journal=The Astronomer's Telegram
| volume=8790 | date=March 2016
| page=1 | bibcode=2016ATel.8790....1C }}
}}
External links
- [https://sne.space/sne/SN2016aps/ SN 2016aps entry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200419002430/https://sne.space/sne/SN2016aps/ |date=2020-04-19 }} in the [https://sne.space/ Open Supernova Catalog] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230459/https://sne.space/ |date=2016-03-03 }}
{{2016 in space}}
{{Draco (constellation)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:SN 2016aps}}