Related papers: QU Carinae: a SNeIa progenitor?
We present infrared (IR) photometry and spectroscopy of the Type II-P SN 2017eaw and its progenitor in the nearby galaxy NGC 6946. Progenitor observations in the Ks band in 4 epochs from 1 year to 1 day before the explosion reveal no…
Short supersoft X-ray source (SSS) states (durations < 100 days) of classical novae (CNe) indicate massive white dwarfs that are candidate progenitors of supernovae type Ia. We carry out a dedicated optical and X-ray monitoring program of…
The classic single-degenerate model for the progenitors of Type Ia Supernova (SN Ia) predicts that the supernova ejecta should be enriched with solar-like abundance material stripped from the companion star. Spectroscopic observations of…
The observed diversity in Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) -- the thermonuclear explosions of carbon-oxygen white dwarf stars used as cosmological standard candles -- is currently met with a variety of explosion models and progenitor scenarios.…
Recent observations have revealed that some Type Ia supernovae exhibit narrow, time-variable Na I D absorption features. The origin of the absorbing material is controversial, but it may suggest the presence of circumstellar gas in the…
We report on the spectral evolution of the enigmatic, very slow nova V5558 Sgr, based on the low-resolution spectra obtained at the Fujii-Bisei Observatory and the Bisei Astronomical Observatory, Japan during a period of 2007 April 6 to…
CO(J = 2-1) and SiO(J = 5-4) emission has been observed from the molecular envelope around the nearby S star pi Gru. The CO line profile differs from the usual parabolic shape seen in uniformly expanding envelopes; it has a Voigt-like…
During $\eta$ Car's spectroscopic event in mid-2003, the stellar wind's bright H$\alpha$ and H$\beta$ emission lines temporarily had a distinctive shape unlike that reported on any previous occasion, and particularly unlike the 1997--98…
We present narrowband images of eta Carinae in the light of [O III] 5007 obtained with HST/WFPC2, as well as a ground-based image in the same emission line with a larger field of view. These images show a thin veil of [O III] emission…
We report evidence for excess blue light from the Type Ia supernova SN 2012cg at fifteen and sixteen days before maximum B-band brightness. The emission is consistent with predictions for the impact of the supernova on a non-degenerate…
We present the first quantitative spectroscopic modeling of an early-time supernova that interacts with its progenitor wind. Using the radiative transfer code CMFGEN, we investigate the recently-reported 15.5 h post-explosion spectrum of…
We present an analysis of high precision V light curves (LC) for 18 local Type Ia Supernovae, SNe Ia, as obtained with the same telescope and setup at the Las Campanas Observatory (LCO). This homogeneity provides an intrinsic accuracy a few…
The presence of narrow high-temperature emission lines from nitrogen-rich gas close to SN 1987A has been the principal observational constraint on the evolu- tionary status of the supernova's progenitor. A new analysis of the complete…
We report photometry and spectroscopy of the novalike variable DW Cancri. The spectra show the usual broad H and He emission lines, with an excitation and continuum slope characteristic of a moderately high accretion rate. A radial-velocity…
We present extensive, well-sampled optical and ultraviolet photometry and optical spectra of the Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) 2017hpa. The light curves indicate that SN 2017hpa is a normal SN Ia with an absolute peak magnitude of $M_{\rm…
Thermonuclear supernovae (SNe) are the result of the nuclear transformation of carbon/oxygen (C/O) white dwarfs (WDs) to the radioactive element $^{56}\mathrm{Ni}$ and intermediate mass elements (IMEs) like Ca, Ar, etc. Most progenitor…
We present theoretical semi-analytic models for the interaction of stellar winds with the interstellar medium (ISM) or prior mass loss implemented in our code SPICE (Supernovae Progenitor Interaction Calculator for parameterized…
There has been mounting observational evidence in favour of Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) being the direct progenitors of supernovae. Here we present possibly the most convincing evidence yet for such progenitors. We find multiple…
While it is generally accepted that Type Ia supernovae are the result of the explosion of a carbon-oxygen White Dwarf accreting mass in a binary system, the details of their genesis still elude us, and the nature of the binary companion is…
The star WR 7a, also known as SPH 2, has a spectrum that resembles that of V Sagittae stars although no O VI emission has been reported. The Temporal Variance Spectrum - TVS - analysis of our data shows weak but strongly variable emission…