astronomy

SN 2005ap

SN 2005ap is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SN 2005ap rather than just read about it. In short: SN 2005ap was an extremely energetic Type Ic supernova in the galaxy SDSS J130115.12+274327.5. With a peak absolute magnitude of around −22.7, it is the second-brightest superluminous supernova yet recorded, twice as bright as the previous record holder, SN 2006gy, though SN 2005ap was eventually surpassed by ASASSN-15lh.

Key takeaways

SN 2005ap belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SN 2005ap to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SN 2005ap from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SN 2005ap was an extremely energetic Type Ic supernova in the galaxy SDSS J130115.12+274327.5. With a peak absolute magnitude of around −22.7, it is the second-brightest superluminous supernova yet recorded, twice as bright as the previous record holder, SN 2006gy, though SN 2005ap was eventually surpassed by ASASSN-15lh. It was initially classified as Type II-L, but later revised to Type Ic. It was discovered on 3 March 2005, on unfiltered optical images taken with the 0.45 m ROTSE-IIIb (Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment) telescope, which is located at the McDonald Observatory in West Texas, by Robert Quimby, as part of the Texas Supernova Search that also discovered SN 2006gy. Although it was discovered before SN 2006gy, it was not recognized as being brighter until October 2007. As it occurred 4.7 billion light years from Earth, it was not visible to the naked eye. Although SN 2005ap was twice as bright at its peak than SN 2006gy, it was not as energetic overall, as the former brightened and dimmed in a typical period of a few days whereas the latter remained very bright for many months. SN 2005ap was about 300 times brighter than normal for a Type II supernova. It has been speculated that this hypernova involved the formation of a quark star. Quimby has suggested that the hypernova is of a new type distinct from the standard Type II supernova, and his research group have identified five other supernovae similar to SN 2005ap and SCP 06F6, all of which were extremely bright and lacking in hydrogen.

References

Further reading Tan, K. (11 October 2007). "Supernova blazed like 100 billion suns". NBC News. Archived from the original on July 29, 2014.

External links

"SN 2005AP". Aladin. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. "SN 2005AP". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SN 2005ap

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SN 2005ap claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SN 2005ap before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SN 2005ap ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SN 2005ap

In research: SN 2005ap appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SN 2005ap in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SN 2005ap is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical objects discovered in 2005, Coma Berenices, Hypernovae, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SN 2005ap outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SN 2005ap in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SN 2005ap means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SN 2005ap out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SN 2005ap in simple terms?

Why does SN 2005ap matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SN 2005ap?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SN 2005ap.