Related papers: Visual Observability of the Cassiopeia A Supernova

Massive stars undergo a violent death when the supply of nuclear fuel in their cores is exhausted, resulting in a catastrophic "core-collapse" supernova. Such events are usually only detected at least a few days after the star has exploded.…

Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is one of the best studied young Galactic supernova remnants. While providing a rare opportunity to study in detail the remnant of a Type IIb supernova, questions remain regarding the nature of its progenitor, its…

The properties of supernovae (SNe) are reviewed. It is shown that the observed characteristics of the morphological classes of SNe (types Ia, Ib/c, II) can be explained in terms of two basic explosion mechanisms, i.e. core collapse of…

Cassiopeia A the youngest supernova remnant known in the Milky Way is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky and a unique laboratory for supernova physics. Although its compact remnant was discovered in 1999 by the Chandra X-Ray…

If Type-II supernovae - the evolutionary end points of short-lived, massive stars - produce a significant quantity of dust (>0.1 M_sun) then they can explain the rest-frame far-infrared emission seen in galaxies and quasars in the first Gyr…

Available data on the luminosities of supernovae of Type Ia (SNe Ia) that have been calibrated by Cepheids are collected and discussed. The objects in the present sample show a range of ~20 in luminosity. The data strongly confirm the…

We present results of a recent Chandra X-ray Observatory observation of the central compact object (CCO) in the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. This observation was obtained in an instrumental configuration that combines a high spatial…

Probably not, but it is interesting nevertheless to investigate just how close Cas A might have come to generating such an event. Focusing on the northeast jet filaments, we analyze the polar regions of the recently acquired very deep 1 Ms…

Massive evolved stars such as red supergiants and hypergiants are potential progenitors of Type II supernovae, and they are known for ejecting substantial amounts of matter, up to half their initial mass, during their final evolutionary…

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) correspond to the thermonuclear explosion of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (C-O WD) star in a binary system, triggered by the accretion of material from another star, or the merger/collision with a secondary WD.…

Broadband optical and narrowband Si XIII X-ray images of the young Galactic supernova remnant Cas A obtained over several decades are used to investigate spatial and temporal correlations on both large and small scales. The data consist of…

Supernova remnants (SNRs) have long been considered the leading candidates for the accelerators of cosmic rays within the Galaxy through the process of diffusive shock acceleration. The connection between SNRs and cosmic rays is supported…

The central pointlike X-ray source of the Cas A supernova remnant was discovered in the Chandra First Light Observation and found later in the archival ROSAT and Einstein images. The analysis of these data does not show statistically…

The Type Ic supernovae are probably "nearly-nude" core collapse events. They are thus of special interest in terms of their evolutionary origin, but also as the source of potential clues to the explosion process that may not be obtained…

I briefly describe the Lick Observatory Supernova Search with the 0.76-m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope. I then present an overview of optical observations of Type II, IIb, Ib, and Ic supernovae (SNe), all of which are thought to arise…

We used the Spitzer Space Telescope's Infrared Spectrograph to map nearly the entire extent of Cassiopeia A between 5-40 micron. Using infrared and Chandra X-ray Doppler velocity measurements, along with the locations of optical ejecta…

We present new photometric observations of Supernova (SN) 2003ie starting one month before discovery, obtained serendipitously while observing its host galaxy. With only a weak upper limit derived on the mass of its progenitor (<25 M_sun)…

Population III supernovae have been of growing interest of late for their potential to directly probe the properties of the first stars, particularly the most energetic events that are visible near the edge of the observable universe. But…

In this review of X-ray and gamma-ray observations of Cas A, evidence is discussed that Cas A was a Type Ib supernova of a Wolf-Rayet star with a main sequence mass between 22-25 Msun, that exploded after stellar wind loss had reduced its…

Spectroscopic observations at 2.4 - 45 microns of the young supernova remnant Cas A with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) Short Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS) reveal strong emission lines of O, Ne, Si, S, and Ar. These lines are observed…