[ngcles]

Hi Peter & All,

Originally Posted by PeterM

Hi Trevor
The next link identifies some of the Milky Way candidates for possible supernova in the future.
Suffice to see we really don't want a type 1a supernova too close to home....very bad for business.
PeterM.

http://365daysofastronomy.org/2009/0...ova-imposters/

http://wapedia.mobi/en/Supernova?t=7.

Interesting and thanks for posting that. But, I think they missed the most likely one of all -- Sher 25 in the giant open cluster NGC 3603 not far from the Eta Carinae complex in our sky and also the NGC 3576 complex. NGC 3603 is one of the brightest and most massive OCs known in the Milky Way. It is significantly larger than the Trumpler 14/16 clusters in the Eta Carinae complex. Westerlund 1 (Ara) is probably the largest of all. HST has taken some wonderful images of NGC 3603 -- do an image search.

See also:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap970812.html

http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff...3/ngc3603.html

http://jumk.de/astronomie/big-stars/sher-25.shtml

http://www.iop.org/EJ/article/1538-4...b-04d2dabe9abe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westerlund_1

I wrote NGC 3603 up in Feb/Mar 2009 AS&T "Spotlight-on".

Sher 25 on the outskirts of NGC 3603 is a very, very similar star to the progenitor to 1987A and has already produced the bipolar outflow nebula that 1987A produced 20,000 yrs before it exploded.

It is 20,000 ly away and therefore it might well have already happened. ie the message is on the way -- possibly. In any event it is without doubt a ticking time-bomb. In astronomical time-scales it will basically occur any minute.

Sher 25 is a strong candidate for the "next one" award and very, very well placed for southern observers. Watch this space ...


Best,

Les D