SN 1997bs in M66: Another Extragalactic η Carinae Analog?

By S. V. van Dyk, C. Peng, J. Y. King, A. Filippenko, R. Treffers, Weidong Li, M. Richmond. 2000

161 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We report on SN 1997bs in NGC 3627 (M66), the first supernova discovered by the Lick Observatory Supernova Search using the 0.75 m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT). Based on its early‐time optical spectrum, SN 1997bs was classified as Type IIn. However, from the BVRI light curves obtained by KAIT early in the supernova’s evolution, and F555W and F814W light curves obtained from Hubble Space Telescope archival WFPC2 images at late times, we question the identification of SN 1997bs as a bona fide supernova. We believe that it is more likely a superoutburst of a very massive luminous blue variable star, analogous to η Carinae, and similar to SN 1961V in NGC 1058 (Filippenko et al. 1995 AJ, 110, 2261) and SN 1954J (“Variable 12”) in NGC 2403 (Humphreys & Davidson 1994 PASP, 106, 1025). The progenitor may have survived the outburst, since the SN is seen in early 1998 at mF555W = 23.4, about 0.5 mag fainter than the progenitor identified by Van Dyk et al. (1999, AJ, 118, 2331) in a prediscovery image. Based on analysis of its environment in the Hubble Space Telescope images, the progenitor was not in an H ii region or association of massive stars. The recent discovery of additional objects with properties similar to those of SN 1997bs suggests that the heterogeneous class of Type IIn supernovae consists in part of “impostors.”

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nuclear and High Energy Physics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/04c0a6854ceb544afc7a6437e41cece037017698

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Citations in the corpus

Progenitors of Core-Collapse Supernovae (2009, background): “Spectroscopy usually provides fairly unequivocal classification of these transients as LBV eruptions and outbursts rather than SNe and they have been termed “supernova impostors” (Van Dyk et al. 2000).”
INTERACTING SUPERNOVAE AND SUPERNOVA IMPOSTORS: SN 2009ip, IS THIS THE END? (2012, background): “For this reason, they gained the label of SN impostors (Van Dyk et al. 2000).”
The Unprecedented Third Outburst of SN 2009ip: A Luminous Blue Variable Becomes a Supernova (2012, background): “Several such events have been observed directly, including the historic eruption of η Carinae in our own Galaxy during the mid-19th century (Smith & Frew 2011), as well as the more recently discovered extragalactic analogs, the so-called “SN impostors” (Van Dyk et al. 2000; Smith et al. 2011).”
A CONTINUUM OF H- TO He-RICH TIDAL DISRUPTION CANDIDATES WITH A PREFERENCE FOR E+A GALAXIES (2014, background): “Discoveries of new types of transients (e.g. van Dyk et al. 2000; Valenti et al. 2009; Foley et al. 2009; Perets et al. 2010; Kasliwal et al. 2011) have been filling the luminosity gap between novae and SNe.”
Nearby Supernova Rates from the Lick Observatory Supernova Search. II. The Observed Luminosity Functions and Fractions of Supernovae in a Complete Sample (2010, background): “…and 2003gm) are so-called “SN impostors” — low-luminosity SNe IIn that are likely to be superoutbursts of luminous blue variable stars rather than genuine SNe (e.g., Van Dyk et al. 2000; Smith et al. 2011b); they are not considered further in this analysis, but will be discussed in a future paper.”
Dawes Review 6: The Impact of Companions on Stellar Evolution (2016, background): “Supernova impostors are characterised by type IIn spectra with lower peak luminosities than typical core collapse supernovae (MV ∼ −13 instead of ∼ −17; Van Dyk et al. 2000).”
On the Role of Continuum-driven Eruptions in the Evolution of Very Massive Stars and Population III Stars (2006, background): “Although LBV eruptions are rare, a number of extragalactic η Car analogs or “supernova impostors” have been observed, such as SN1954J in NGC2403 and SN1961V in NGC1058 (Humphreys et al. 1999; Smith et al. 2001; Van Dyk et al. 2002, 2005), V1 in NGC2363 (Drissen et al. 1997), and several recent event”
A NEW CLASS OF LUMINOUS TRANSIENTS AND A FIRST CENSUS OF THEIR MASSIVE STELLAR PROGENITORS (2008, background): “They are thus distinct from the “supernova impostors,” produced by bright outbursts of optically-luminous LBVs (e.g., SN 1997bs; Van Dyk et al. 2000, 2003).”
Discovery of the Dust-Enshrouded Progenitor of SN 2008S with Spitzer (2008, background): “The spectral properties and low peak luminosity led Steele et al. (2008) propose that SN 2008S was a supernova impostor such as SN 1997bs (Van Dyk et al. 2000).”
Nearby supernova rates from the Lick Observatory Supernova Search – I. The methods and data base (2010, background): “Rep., 204, 385 van den Bergh, S., McClure R. D. 1990, ApJ, 359, 277 van den Bergh S., Li W., Filippenko A. V. 2002, PASP, 114, 820 van den Bergh S., Li W., Filippenko A. V. 2003, PASP, 115, 1280 van den Bergh S., Li W., Filippenko A. V. 2005, PASP, 117, 773 van den Bergh S., McClure R. D., Evans R. ”
Production of dust by massive stars at high redshift (2011, unknown): “Similar objects areSN 1954J (Smith et al, 2001; Van Dyk et al, 2005), SN 1997bs (Van Dyk et al, 2000), SN 2000ch(Wagner et al, 2004), SN 2002kg, and SN 2003gm (Weis and Bomans, 2005; Maund et al, 2006; Van Dyk et al, 2006).”
Planetary Nebulae as Standard Candles. XII. Connecting the Population I and Population II Distance Scales (2002, background): “The galaxy has also hosted two other supernovalike events, the Type II SN 1973R (Ciatti & Rosino 1977) and the unusual object SN 1997bs (Van Dyk et al. 2000), and is a zero-point calibrator for the Tully-Fisher relation.”
DISCOVERY OF PRECURSOR LUMINOUS BLUE VARIABLE OUTBURSTS IN TWO RECENT OPTICAL TRANSIENTS: THE FITFULLY VARIABLE MISSING LINKS UGC 2773-OT AND SN 2009ip (2009, background): “This is very close to Case B recombination values, and is similar to the decrement Hα : Hβ : Hγ = 2.6 : 1.0 : 0.5 observed in SN 1997bs (Van Dyk et al. 2000) in a spectrum taken shortly after discovery.”
Luminous blue variable eruptions and related transients: diversity of progenitors and outburst properties (2010, methodology): “Van Dyk et al. measured a FWHM of 765 km s−1 from Hα in spectra obtained on day 2 after discovery, and noted Lorentzian line wings extending to ±3,000 km s−1.”
Progenitor mass constraints for core-collapse supernovae from correlations with host galaxy star formation⋆ (2012, unknown): “The reader is referred to the recent literature which discuss the explosion processes in detail (e.g. Bruenn et al. 2009; Nordhaus et al. 2010; Hanke et al. 2011). from massive stars (e.g. van Dyk et al. 2000; Maund et al. 2006, although see Kochanek, Szczygiel & Stanek 2012).”