Related papers: SN 2005 gj: Evidence for LBV supernovae progenitor…

Luminous blue variable (LBV) stars are very massive, luminous, unstable stars that suffer frequent eruptions. In the last few years, these stars have been proposed as the direct progenitors of some core-collapse supernovae (SNe),…

We present a study of the type IIn supernova (SN) 2005gl, in the relatively nearby (d~66 Mpc) galaxy NGC 266. Photometry and spectroscopy of the SN indicate it is a typical member of its class. Pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope (HST)…

Luminous Blue Variables (LBVs) oftentimes show double-troughed absorption in their strong Halpha lines, which are as yet not understood. Intriguingly, the feature has also been seen in the interacting supernova SN 2005gj, which was for this…

Type IIn supernovae (SNe) exhibit narrow hydrogen lines that arise from the strong interaction between ejecta and circumstellar material. It remains poorly understood, however, what progenitor stars give rise to these explosions. In this…

Evidence suggests that the direct progenitor stars of some core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) are luminous blue variables (LBVs), perhaps including some `superluminous supernovae' (SLSNe). We examine models in which massive stars gain mass…

LBVs are massive evolved stars that suffer sporadic and violent mass-loss events. They have been proposed as the progenitors of some core-collapse SNe, but this idea is still debated due to the lack of direct evidence. Since SNRs can carry…

Stars more massive than about 8 Msun end their lives as a Supernova (SN), an event of fundamental importance Universe-wide. Theoretically, these stars have been expected to be either at the red supergiant, blue supergiant, or Wolf-Rayet…

Analyses of supernovae (SNe) have revealed two main types of progenitors: exploding white dwarfs and collapsing massive stars. We present SN2002bj, which stands out as different from any SN reported to date. Its light curve rises and…

Direct identification of the progenitors of supernovae (SNe) is rare because of the required spatial resolution and depth of the archival data prior to the SN explosions. Here we report on the identification of the progenitors of two nearby…

We report the identification of a source coincident with SN 2009kr in HST pre-explosion images. The object appears to be a single point source with an intrinsic colour V-I = 1.1 and M_V = -7.6. If this is a single star it would be a yellow…

Supernova (SN) iPTF13bvn in NGC 5806 was the first Type Ib SN to have been tentatively associated with a progenitor candidate in pre-explosion images. We performed deep ultraviolet (UV) and optical Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations…

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 investigate the fundamental properties of core-collapse Supernova (SN) progenitors from single stars at solar metallicity. We combine Geneva stellar evolutionary models with initial masses of Mini=20-120 Msun with atmospheric/wind models…

The progenitors of Type II-P supernovae (SNe) are generally considered to be red supergiants; however, the so-called "red supergiant problem" indicates that a deeper investigation into the progenitors of this class of SNe is necessary. SN…

We present new light curves and spectra for a number of extragalactic optical transients or "SN impostors" related to giant eruptions of LBVs, and we provide a comparative discussion of LBV-like giant eruptions known to date. New data…

Identifying the massive progenitor stars that give rise to core-collapse supernovae (SNe) is one of the main pursuits of supernova and stellar evolution studies. Using ground-based images of recent, nearby SNe obtained primarily with KAIT,…

As part of a larger completed Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Snapshot program, we observed the sites of six nearby core-collapse supernovae (SNe) at high spatial resolution: SN 2012A, SN 2013ej, SN 2016gkg, SN 2017eaw, SN 2018zd, and SN…

The nature of the progenitor star (or system) for the Type IIn supernova (SN) subclass remains uncertain. While there are direct imaging constraints on the progenitors of at least four Type IIn supernovae, one of them being SN 2010jl,…

The interaction between supernova ejecta and circumstellar matter, arising from previous episodes of mass loss, provides us with a means with which to constrain the progenitors of supernovae. Radio observations of a number of supernovae…

The stars that end their lives as supernovae (SNe) have been directly observed in only a handful of cases, due mainly to the extreme difficulty in identifying them in images obtained prior to the SN explosions. Here we report the…