I’m so glad you guys liked that article by Garik Israelian on the Star that is now Dead.
Well, my dear pal and esteemed astro-photographer Jamie Cooper has just taken a great photograph of this mysterious and dramatic object, known, catchily, as “HR 8752”.
First, here’s Jamie’s schematic of where to find it – not far from the easily-spotted ‘W’- shaped constellation of Cassiopeia – high in the night sky right now. (It’s on the opposite side of the pole star from the Plough, and about equally far away … the Plough and Cassiopeia can be seen to wheel around the North pole star all year round, and never set, if you live in temperate Northern latitudes.)
And – yes – embedded at lower left is the photo Jamie has taken of the object, using light that has been travelling for a few thousand years towards us. Garik’s observations indicate that the star is no longer there – but has exploded as a Supernova and is now a black hole of a few solar masses. (See HERE)
Here is the full res view of the area, as photographed by Jamie. He used a remote astro-camera controlled over the Internet .. and amazing modern development. So the camera and telescope were under clear night skies in Mexico, and Jamie was at home under clouds in the UK !
The star is not very bright, but, at around 5th Magnitude, ought to be just about visible to the naked eye if you live in a place without light pollution …
Enjoy !
Bri
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