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Age and Original Brightness of the Supernova that Spawned the Supernova Remnant IC443?

-- Ty | February 17, 2023

Question:

How bright was the supernova that resulted in the the Jellyfish Nebulae (IC 443) as seen from Earth? Is that something we can estimate from the remnant of the explosion? I’ve seen a very wide range of estimated time for when this supernova took place. What is the current best understanding of the age of this event (as seen from Earth) and will we be able to narrow that down with future observations/advances?

-- Ty

Answer:

I believe that the most recent assessment of the age of this supernova remnant, based on an analysis of Chandra Observatory xray measurements, puts it at tens of thousands of years. This is in agreement with previous work that estimated the age of IC443 at about 30,000 years. Note, though, that age estimates for IC443 range as low as 3,000 years. I could not find an estimate for the original brightness of the supernova that gave birth to the IC443 supernova remnant.

-- Jeff Mangum

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