Supernova Observation
A program of directed study and research aimed at pushing the limits of the Deep Springs Observatory and observing supernovae.
Spring Semester 2024, Deep Springs College
Mentor/Supervisor: Prof. Brian Hill
Student Researchers: Hexi Jin (DS 23) and Ethan Liao (DS 22)
Syllabus
Record of Work
- Record of Work - Term 4
- Record of Work - Term 5 — See our ZTF24aahgqwk Observation Log
- Record of Work - Term 6 — See our ZTF24aahgqwk Analysis and our completed passovers below
Video Passovers
We have converted the written passover created by the prior spring’s team into a series of short videos that are publicly accessible at the Deep Springs Observatory channel on YouTube.
Usually the mount and OTA (optical tube assembly) are already set up on the permanent pier in the dome, and people wanting to use the already-set-up equipment can skip straight to Opening and Closing the Observatory to jump-start their observing.
ZTF24aahgqwk Observation and Analysis
In late January and early February, we worked on setup of the telescope both in the field and at the observatory, and also on setting up Python environments and learning scientific Python. The intermittenly bad weather of February and early March kept up when we wanted to begin observing, but luckily, almost exactly as the bad weather finally tailed off, a promising supernova in NGC 3443 was identified by the ZTF (Zwicky Transient Facility). Our 18 nights of data-taking for this supernova from late March to early May are summarized by our ZTF24aahgqwk Analysis.
ZTF24aahgqwk on 2024-03-20 with Sloan r’ filter