Related papers: Supernova 2008bk and Its Red Supergiant Progenitor

The progenitors of low-luminosity Type II-Plateau supernovae (SNe II-P) are believed to be red supergiant (RSG) stars, but there is much disparity in the literature concerning their mass at core collapse and therefore on the main sequence.…

We analyzed the spectra and light curve of the peculiar type II-P supernova 1997D to recover ejecta parameters. The optimal hydrodynamical model of SN 1997D, which meets observational constraints at the photospheric epoch, suggests a low…

It has been well established from a variety of observations that red supergiants (RSGs) loose a lot of mass in stellar wind. Dust formed in this emitted gas over a few decades before core-collapse can lead to substantial extinction and…

The explosive fate of massive stripped Wolf-Rayet (W-R) stars is a key open question in stellar physics. An appealing option is that hydrogen-deficient W-R stars are the progenitors of some H-poor supernova (SN) explosions of Types IIb, Ib,…

Analysis of pre-explosion imaging has confirmed red supergiants (RSGs) as the progenitors to Type II-P supernovae (SNe). However, extracting the RSG's luminosity requires assumptions regarding the star's temperature or spectral type and the…

We report our attempts to locate the progenitor of the type Ic SN 2004gt in NGC 4038. We use high resolution HST ACS images of SN 2004gt and have compared them with deep pre-explosion HST WFPC2 F336W, F439W, F555W and F814W images. We…

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)…

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…

Using images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Gemini Telescope we confirm the disappearance of the progenitors of two Type II supernovae (SNe), and evaluate the presence of other stars associated with them. We find that the…

We report initial observations and analysis on the Type IIb SN~2016gkg in the nearby galaxy NGC~613. SN~2016gkg exhibited a clear double-peaked light curve during its early evolution, as evidenced by our intensive photometric follow-up…

I present progenitor luminosities ($L$) for a sample of 112 Type II supernovae (SNe II), computed directly from progenitor photometry and the bolometric correction technique, or indirectly from empirical correlations between progenitor…

Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 archival images obtained years prior to the explosion of the Type II-plateau supernova (SN) 2001du in NGC 1365 previously have been analyzed to isolate the progenitor star. The SN site was located using…

We report the results of our search for the progenitor candidate of SN 2013dk, a Type Ic supernova (SN) that exploded in the Antennae Galaxy system. We compare pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archival images with SN images…

We present follow-up imaging and spectroscopy and pre-explosion imaging of supernova (SN) 2025pht located in NGC 1637 at 12 Mpc. Our spectroscopy shows that SN 2025pht is a Type II SN with broad lines of hydrogen and with minimal…

We present the one-year long observing campaign of SN 2012A which exploded in the nearby (9.8 Mpc) irregular galaxy NGC 3239. The photometric evolution is that of a normal type IIP supernova. The absolute maximum magnitude, with MB = -16.23…

We analyze pre-explosion near- and mid-infrared (IR) imaging of the site of SN 2023ixf in the nearby spiral galaxy M101 and characterize the candidate progenitor star. The star displays compelling evidence of variability with a possible…

We analyze two pre-supernova (SN) and three post-SN high-resolution images of the site of the Type II-Plateau supernova SN 2006my in an effort to either detect the progenitor star or to constrain its properties. Following image…

We report the discovery of the progenitor of the recent type IIn SN 2008S in the nearby galaxy NGC 6946. Surprisingly, it was not found in deep, pre-explosion optical images of its host galaxy taken with the Large Binocular Telescope, but…

We identify a pre-explosion counterpart to the nearby Type IIP supernova ASASSN-16fq (SN 2016cok) in archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data. The source appears to be a blend of several stars that prevents obtaining accurate photometry.…

To date, SN 2017ein is the only Type Ic supernova with a directly identified progenitor candidate. This candidate points to a very massive ($>$45 $M_\odot$) Wolf-Rayet progenitor, but its disappearance after the explosion of SN 2017ein…