Host Optical Cutout
0.26″/pix
DESI DR10 Optical (0.26″/pix)
Core Parameters
| R.A. (J2000) | 12:22:58.58 (185.74408°) |
|---|---|
| Dec. (J2000) | +15:47:52.7 (15.79797°) |
| Spectral Type | II |
| Redshift (z) | 0.00455 |
| Recession Velocity | 1587 km/s (redshift Doppler-equivalent) |
| Luminosity Distance | 16 Mpc (~63.8 Million Light-Years, μ = 31.46) |
| Peak Apparent Mag | 11.6 brightest multi-epoch detection (1979/04/15) |
| Peak Absolute Mag | -19.4 |
| MW Dust E(B-V) | 0.0227 mag derived from galactic coordinates (coordinate model), not a dust-map measurement |
| Host Galaxy | NGC 4321 |
| Host Offset | 103.2 |
| Observations | 260 detections, 4 spectra |
Interactive Sky Field (Aladin) ✨ DSS2 Optical (China-VO mirror)
🎯 12:22:58.58 +15:47:52.7
FOV: 0.15°
● SN1979C (II)
Coordinate Pointing & Airmass
Discovered 47.5 years ago (1979/04/19). Cataloged peak 1979/04/15 (17370d ago; rest-frame phase +17291.3d). Cataloged/observed peak: m = 11.60 on 1979/04/15. Latest observed: m = 19.05 on 1980/03/11 (MJD 44309.1). No reliable current brightness estimate — no event-specific brightness fit with documented uncertainty is published for this object. Class-average decay templates are not used as object-specific predictions. Latest observed magnitude: m = 19.05 on 1980/03/11 (MJD 44309.1). Current brightness trend is unknown (last observation 1980/03/11 (MJD 44309.1); same-band recent pair unavailable or stale). It is below the horizon right now; use the window below to find the next observable slot.
Multi-Band Light Curve
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Calibrated Spectra Viewer
🌌 Cosmic Neighbors & Contemporaries
105,768+ transients indexed
Cataloged transients closest to SN1979C in discovery time, spatial sky neighborhood, and cosmological redshift:
⏱️ Closest in Time
SN1979B
50d before
Type Ia
1979/02/28 · Mag 12.5
SN1978G
146d before
Type II
1978/11/24 · Mag 12.9
SN1978H
163d before
Type II
1978/11/07 · Mag 16.5
Literature & Data Provenance
| ID | Source | Reference | NASA ADS Bibcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | 2016A&A...594A..13P | Planck Collaboration et al. (2016) | 2016A&A...594A..13P |
| [2] | 2012A&A...538A.120L | Lennarz, Altmann, & Wiebusch (2012) | 2012A&A...538A.120L |
| [3] | 2011ApJ...737..103S | Schlafly & Finkbeiner (2011) | 2011ApJ...737..103S |
| [4] | 2008yCat....1.2024B | Barbon et al. (2008) | 2008yCat....1.2024B |
| [5] | 2003ApJ...591..301B | Bartel & Bietenholz (2003) | 2003ApJ...591..301B |
| [6] | 2001AJ....122..966R | Ray, Petre, & Schlegel (2001) | 2001AJ....122..966R |
| [7] | 1998ApJ...500...51W | Weiler et al. (1998) | 1998ApJ...500...51W |
| [8] | 1994ApJ...432...42S | Schmidt et al. (1994) | 1994ApJ...432...42S |
| [9] | 1992ApJ...395..366S | Schmidt, Kirshner, & Eastman (1992) | 1992ApJ...395..366S |
| [10] | 1985LNP...224..107B | Bartel (1985) | 1985LNP...224..107B |
| [11] | 1985Natur.318...25B | Bartel et al. (1985) | 1985Natur.318...25B |
| [12] | 1982A&A...116...43B | Barbon et al. (1982) | 1982A&A...116...43B |
| [13] | 1981PASP...93...36D | de Vaucouleurs et al. (1981) | 1981PASP...93...36D |
| [14] | 1981ApJ...244..780B | Branch et al. (1981) | 1981ApJ...244..780B |
| [15] | 1980BAN....85...19B | 1980BAN....85...19B | |
| [16] | IAUC 3348 | Argyle et al. (1979) | 1979IAUC.3348....2A |
| [17] | Transient Name Server | — | |
| [18] | Latest Supernovae | — | |
| [19] | Sternberg Astronomical Institute Supernova Light Curve Catalogue | — | |
| [20] | Superfit | — | |
| [21] | The Open Supernova Catalog | Guillochon et al. (2017) | 2017ApJ...835...64G |
| [22] | WISeREP | Yaron & Gal-Yam (2012) | 2012PASP..124..668Y |
| [23] | SIMBAD astronomical database | Wenger et al. (2000) | 2000A&AS..143....9W |
| [24] | NED-D v13.1.0 | Helou et al. (1991) | 1991ASSL..171...89H |
| [25] | Asiago Supernova Catalogue | Barbon, Cappellaro, & Turatto (1989) | 1989A&AS...81..421B |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About SN1979C
Scientific & observational Q&As indexed from astronomical databases & the Open Supernova Catalog
What type of supernova is SN1979C and what kind of star exploded? Astrophysics & Progenitor
SN1979C is classified as a Type II supernova, consistent with core collapse of a massive star that retained hydrogen in its outer envelope. Typical progenitor mass ranges quoted for the class are model expectations, not a measured mass for this star.
What was the progenitor star doing in the millions of years leading up to SN1979C? Astrophysics & Progenitor
The specific progenitor of SN1979C has not been observed. Events of this spectroscopic class are generally associated with massive-star core collapse after successive nuclear burning stages (hydrogen → helium → carbon → neon → oxygen → silicon → iron). Typical lifetimes of such progenitors are tens of millions of years, but that is a class expectation—not a measured age or evolutionary track for this star. No pre-explosion imaging identification is cited in the available record for SN1979C.
How far away is SN1979C from Earth and how old is the light reaching us? Cosmic Distance & Time
SN1979C has a luminosity distance of approximately 52.2 Million Light-Years (redshift z = 0.00455, d_L = 16 Mpc). Under a flat ΛCDM cosmology (H₀≈70 km/s/Mpc, Ωₘ≈0.3), the corresponding lookback time is ≈63 Myr — when the light set out 63.3 million years ago during the early Cenozoic era, following the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs. Luminosity distance is larger than the light-travel distance because cosmic expansion stretches the path; the two must not be equated.
What does the cosmological redshift of SN1979C tell us about the expansion of space? Cosmic Distance & Time
SN1979C exhibits a measured spectroscopic redshift of z = 0.0046. The cockpit reports a user-facing recession velocity of 1,361.0 km/s, computed as the redshift Doppler-equivalent v = c·((1+z)²−1)/((1+z)²+1). Cosmological redshift is not generally equivalent to special-relativistic motion through space; this number is a convenient velocity label for z, not a measured peculiar velocity and not supernova ejecta speed. Bare c·z (≈1,364 km/s) is a different low-z approximation and is not mixed here.
How bright did SN1979C become at its peak, and how many Suns does that equal? Explosion Energetics
At peak brightness, SN1979C achieved an apparent magnitude of 11.6 around 1979/04/15. Corrected for cosmic distance and foreground interstellar dust, its intrinsic absolute magnitude was -19.4. At this peak, the exploding star radiated with the incandescent brilliance of approximately 4.9 billion Suns combined, briefly outshining the cumulative starlight of entire dwarf galaxies!
How much total energy was released by SN1979C, and where did that energy go? Explosion Energetics
Core-collapse events of this broad class are often discussed with a ~10⁵³ erg gravitational binding energy of which ~99% may escape as neutrinos—again a class scale, not a measured budget for SN1979C.
How fast are the supernova ejecta and shockwave of SN1979C expanding through space? Explosion Energetics
Spectroscopic line blueshifts imply an ejecta velocity of approximately 1,587 km/s (~0.5% of c) for SN1979C. This is distinct from cosmological recession velocity inferred from redshift.
What powers the prolonged glow of SN1979C weeks and months after detonation? Radioactive Engine
Classified core-collapse light curves are often sustained after peak by radioactive ⁵⁶Ni → ⁵⁶Co → ⁵⁶Fe decay, with typical nickel yields of order 0.05–0.15 solar masses—again a class scale, not a measured yield for SN1979C. Shock-breakout heating may dominate the earliest optical flash; without a published bolometric fit, neither nickel mass nor the dominant power source is established for this event.
What chemical elements did SN1979C create and disperse into the universe? Nucleosynthesis & Elements
Events of SN1979C's broad spectroscopic class are discussed in galactic chemical evolution as sources of oxygen-group and intermediate-mass elements (and, for some channels, iron-peak material). No measured elemental yields are published for SN1979C.
Did SN1979C leave behind a black hole, a neutron star, or nothing at all? Cosmic Remnant
A core-collapse explosion associated with SN1979C's class forges an ultra-dense compact stellar remnant at the center of the detonation. If the progenitor had an initial mass under ~20 solar masses, it left behind a neutron star (pulsar)—packing the mass of our entire Sun into a city-sized sphere barely 20 kilometers wide, spinning dozens or hundreds of times per second. If the progenitor exceeded ~25–30 solar masses, gravity overcame neutron degeneracy pressure, creating a permanent stellar-mass black hole.
What will SN1979C's explosion site look like in 1,000 to 10,000 years? Cosmic Remnant
Supernova remnants in general evolve through free-expansion, Sedov–Taylor, and radiative phases over centuries to millennia, sometimes becoming bright X-ray shells and occasionally compressing nearby molecular clouds. These are standard remnant-evolution models, not forecasts measured for SN1979C. Whether this site will trigger star formation, reach particular X-ray temperatures, or match Cassiopeia A depends on local density and magnetic field—none of which are constrained by the data shown here.
In which galaxy did SN1979C explode, and where is it located relative to the galactic center? Galactic Environment
SN1979C is associated with cataloged host NGC 4321 at an angular/physical offset of 103.2 from the reported galactic center. That offset places the transient in the host's projected light distribution; it does not by itself prove which stellar population produced the progenitor.
Where is SN1979C located in the night sky and which constellation is it in? Sky Coordinates
In the celestial sphere, SN1979C is located at Right Ascension 12:22:58.58 and Declination +15:47:52.7, situated in the constellation Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair). Because its declination is +15:47:52.7, it is primarily placed in the Northern celestial hemisphere.
How much Milky Way interstellar dust obscures our view of SN1979C? Interstellar Dust
Along this line of sight, the catalog records a Milky Way foreground color excess of E(B−V) = 0.0227 mag (source: 3,21), corresponding to roughly A_V ≈ 0.07 mag for R_V = 3.1. Band-specific corrections (e.g. A_r) differ from A_V and should be applied when available. Map-based values (IRSA / Schlafly & Finkbeiner 2011) must not be claimed unless that map was actually queried.
Across which photometric filter bands was SN1979C monitored? Astronomical Observations
SN1979C was tracked across 260 photometric observations across a baseline of 330.2 days utilizing filter bands including
B, I, R, U, V. Data were captured by observatories and survey networks including global optical observatories. Multi-color photometry tracks the temperature evolution of the fireball, verifying the rise time to peak and the rate of radioactive decline.What did astronomical spectroscopy reveal about SN1979C's chemical makeup? Astronomical Observations
Astronomers obtained 4 spectroscopic epochs for SN1979C from 4091.3 Å to 7488.5 Å. Optical spectroscopy provides the definitive physical fingerprint of the transient: P-Cygni line profiles reveal the expansion speed of the ejecta, while characteristic absorption features (such as hydrogen Balmer lines Hα/Hβ in Type II, or Si II λ6355 in Type Ia) identify the stellar composition and physical mechanism of the explosion.
Who discovered SN1979C and how was it first detected? Discovery & History
SN1979C was officially reported on 1979/04/19 by Johnson. Discoveries are typically flagged by high-cadence robotic survey telescopes (such as ATLAS, ZTF, Pan-STARRS, ASAS-SN, or Gaia) and worldwide amateur astronomers scanning the night sky, followed by rapid spectroscopic classification by international observatories.
How many scientific publications and observatories have contributed data to SN1979C? Scientific Research
SN1979C is documented across 25 scientific references and archival data sources in the Open Supernova Catalog. These include discovery circulars and research datasets from 2016A&A...594A..13P, 2012A&A...538A.120L, 2011ApJ...737..103S, 2008yCat....1.2024B. All raw photometry and spectroscopy points are cross-indexed to their original bibliographic records for peer-reviewed verification.
What other names and survey identifiers exist for SN1979C? Cross-Identifications
Throughout global alert streams and survey databases, SN1979C has also been designated as:
H25, C5, AAVSO 1217+16. These cross-matched identifiers allow astronomers to cross-reference observations across the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), Pan-STARRS, Gaia Photometric Science Alerts, and the IAU Transient Name Server (TNS).How does SN1979C contribute to measuring the Hubble Constant and the scale of the cosmos? Cosmology & Distance Ladder
As a core-collapse supernova, SN1979C provides independent cosmological distance calibrations via the Expanding Photosphere Method (EPM) and the Standard Candle Method for Type II supernovae (SCM-II). By correlating the physical expansion speed of the photosphere (measured via spectroscopic Doppler shifts) with its photometric color temperature, astronomers determine direct geometric distances independent of secondary distance ladders.
Could gravitational waves or neutrinos from SN1979C be detected on Earth? Multi-Messenger Astronomy
Core-collapse supernovae like SN1979C are premier targets for multi-messenger astrophysics! During the collapse of the iron core, an intense burst of 10⁵⁸ neutrinos escaped into space hours before the shock broke out through the stellar surface (as famously seen in SN 1987A). Furthermore, violent core asymmetries and non-axisymmetric core bounce can emit high-frequency gravitational waves detectable by advanced interferometers (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA) for events within the Milky Way and Local Group.
How does SN1979C compare to famous historical supernovae like SN 1987A or the Crab Supernova? Historical Comparison
Compared to historical landmarks like SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud (168,000 light-years away, naked-eye peak m = 2.9) or the Crab Supernova of 1054 (6,500 light-years away), SN1979C occurred at a distance of 52.2 Million Light-Years. While historical naked-eye supernovae occurred within our Milky Way or its immediate satellites, modern discoveries like SN1979C allow astrophysicists to probe diverse galactic environments, metallicities, and stellar populations across the broader universe.
Can I see SN1979C tonight with a backyard telescope or binoculars? Backyard Observation
Unknown — no measured brightness. SN1979C was discovered 17366 days ago (1979/04/19), but no calibrated photometry is published for it, so its current apparent magnitude cannot be stated. Without a magnitude there is no basis for a telescope-aperture recommendation. Use the coordinates and airmass chart above to plan a follow-up observation and report what you measure.
Does the radiation or shockwave from SN1979C pose any threat to Earth? Planetary Safety
No, Earth is in zero danger. Supernovae are violent events emitting powerful gamma rays, X-rays, and cosmic rays; however, the astrophysical 'lethal kill zone' for our planet's protective ozone layer is estimated at 50 to 100 light-years. At a distance of 52.2 Million Light-Years, the inverse-square law dilutes the radiation by quintillions of times, making SN1979C completely harmless to our biosphere and purely a fascinating spectacle for human exploration.
Data sourced from IAU TNS, ALeRCE, WISeREP, and the Open Supernova Catalog.
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