BOSS supernova 47, and my 4th supernova discovery.

[Greg Bock (Greg Bock)]

Originally Posted by allan gould

This is getting soooooo routine, but well done you deserve it - all of you

Hi Allan,
Bob Evans asked me about some stats today, so I prepared the numbers below for him, and since I thought some people here may also be interested, I have copied them here too.

You make an interesting comment. Yes, we certainly designed our search programs to give us results as routine as possible because finding these things is simply a numbers game, and efficiency of imaging and then searching each one is so important.

To give you an idea, here are my SN search stats to date:
· For 10 years, from 2001 to 19 October 2011 to find number 1, SN2011gv, about 50,000 images.!!! Founds lots, just wasn’t first. I did take heaps of confirmation images for other discoverers, such as Bob Evans though.
· Between 19 October 2011 and 27 December 2011 for number 2, SN2011jp, 1362 images in 2 months,
· Between 27 December 2011 and 2 September 2012 for number 3, SN2012fd, 6593 images in 9 months…(I discovered this in one of Stu Parker’s images..a true collaboration)
· Between 2 September 2012 and 5 November 2012 for number 4, SN2012??, 1599 images in 2 months.

[gary]

Hi Greg,

Congratulations to you and the BOSS team! An extraordinary effort.

Your statistics in the post above echo what Rob McNaught said to me once when it came
to comet hunting. Rob said your chances of discovering a comet are not good if
you have never discovered one before.

Once again, well done! Like a supernova itself, we are all blown away!

Best Regards

Gary

[PeterM]

Onya Bockie,

We are pretty much even stevens now. Time for me to pull my finger out and get stuck into more imaging (as I looks to the grey skies above).

The numbers posted are significant and show the dedication needed in this type of work.
The rewards.... hmmm lets see.. you don't have your name attached (like comet discoverers) just a catalogue number. Nor is there any fame attached (like comet discoverers often get). Nor are there many beautiful images taken by a squillion amateurs (like many comet discoveries get)... ok granted Martin Pugh has taken a stunning image of NGC1365 (in the Deep Space forum) with its recent SuperNova SN2012fr. Nor are there any financial rewards (unlike there are for amateur Comet discoverers) ................hmmmm starting to get a bit worried the wife says change your focus in the hobby!
I suppose on the otherside if Comet xyz that you discovered was to collide with us then we wouldn't want any association with it anyways... might bad for your health long before it collided hehe. Ok just joshing (if Mr Lovejoy aka cometguy reads - whom by the way is one of mine and Greg's great mates for the last 29 years). We obviously congratulate all amateurs who have any input into astronomy in anyway.

So why do we do it? Well I guess it's just one area of this infectious hobby that gets in your blood. I hope others reading of our achievements are excited, encouraged and inspired, this will be our reward.

Good one Bockie!
PeterM

[Greg Bock (Greg Bock)]

Hi all,
Happy to announce that the new SN in NGC7298 has now been designated as SN2012gc by the Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams. (CBAT)
So, my number 4 (and BOSS number 47) is now official!

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Fantastic.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Good stuff Greg.

I may have missed it, but has the type been identified and possible peak brightness yet?

[Greg Bock (Greg Bock)]

Originally Posted by Greg Bock

Hi all,
Happy to announce that the new SN in NGC7298 has now been designated as SN2012gc by the Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams. (CBAT)
So, my number 4 (and BOSS number 47) is now official!

The new SN is a reddened type II a days after discovery (the exact type of Type II hasn't been published yet, ie..P,n) and I haven't imaged it since discovery due to wind and/or clouds, so I can only assume that at the moment it brightness is somewhere around magnitude 17.

Waiting for clear skies to get a much better image than my last 2 at the time of my discovery.