Texas Supernova Search (TSS) is one of many ongoing projects to identify and record
supernova events. The project is led by
Robert Quimby and to date has found 35 supernovae, 29 of which they were the first to report on. In addition they have discovered twelve (
extragalactic) novae (in
M31 and
M33, including a probable
LBV) and six
dwarf nova
A U Geminorum-type variable star, or dwarf nova (pl. novae) is one of several types of cataclysmic variable star, consisting of a close binary star system in which one of the components is a white dwarf that accretes matter from its companion. Dwa ...
e.
The project's most notable successes are
SN 2005ap and
SN 2006gy, the two most powerful supernovae yet recorded. SN 2005ap was an extremely energetic
type II supernova. It is reported to be the brightest supernova yet recorded, twice as bright as the previous record holder, SN 2006gy.
Although SN 2005ap was twice as bright at its peak than SN 2006gy it was not as energetic overall as the former brightened and dimmed in a typical period of a few days whereas the latter remained very bright for many months. SN2005ap was about 300 times brighter than normal for a type II supernova. It has been speculated that this supernova involved the formation of a
quark star
A quark star is a hypothetical type of compact, exotic star, where extremely high core temperature and pressure has forced nuclear particles to form quark matter, a continuous state of matter consisting of free quarks.
Background
Some massive ...
.
''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' magazine listed the discovery of SN 2006gy as third in its Top 10 Scientific Discoveries for 2007.
References
External links
Project siteThe Astrophysical Journal ExtractSupernova blazed like 100 billion suns
{{supernovae
Supernovae
Hypernovae