Amateur astrophotographers Fahd Bin Abdul Hasis, Kiran Mohan, and Vishak Sasidharan, scientists with the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala, have photographed a supernova, some 21 million light years away from the earth, using a modest set-up consisting of a DSLR camera and basic sky-tracking equipment, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Tuesday.
The trio overcame challenging climate conditions to click the photographs.
Amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki had discovered the supernova – designated as SN 2023ixf – on May 19 this year. The remarkable celestial event, classified as a type-II supernova, is located in the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101), the ISRO said in a statement.
Supernovae are awe-inspiring celestial phenomena that result from the explosion of massive stars.
‘’What is truly remarkable about the photograph by the amateur astronomers from ISRO is that the team captured this celestial event using a Nikon Z6 ii camera equipped with a Samyang 135 mm lens at f2.8 and ISO 1000, along with the iOptronSkyGuider pro as their sky tracking device. This simple set-up allowed them to record the supernova’s evolving appearance in the night sky,’‘ the ISRO said.
The image processing techniques employed by the team involved stacking multiple frames to enhance the details of the supernova.
The passion, dedication, and ingenuity of the amateur astronomers demonstrate that some rare celestial events can be observed and captured even with basic equipment, given the right skills, the space agency said.
