Supernova SN 2020nlb in Messier 85: updates and light curve – 06 Aug. 2020

Since its discovery, we regularly followed up supernova SN 2020nlb in Messier 85, covering its evolution in a truly spectacular way. here we present the current status of this transient.

Supernova SN 2020nlb in Messier 85: an image - 06 Aug. 2020.

Supernova SN 2020nlb in Messier 85: an image – 06 Aug. 2020.

The image above comes from the average of three, 120-seconds exposures, unfiltered, remotely taken with the “Elena” (PlaneWave 17″+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E) robotic unit available as part of the Virtual Telescope Project. The supernova candidate is indicated by an arrow, in the upper left inset. The sky was bright because of twilight and th etarget below 30 deg. of altitude above the horizon.

The transient is slowly fading, behaving as expected from a type Ia supernova. We’ve found it at mag. 13.1 (unfiltered, R-mags for the reference stars from the Gaia DR1 star catalogue). We closely monitored this supernova since its discovery (25 June), covering the rising phase daily and now its decay. Below is the preliminary lightcurve resulting from our data for SN 2020nlb:

SN 2020nlb: lightcurve

SN 2020nlb: lightcurve

Those are unfiltered magnitudes (R-mags for the reference stars from the Gaia DR1 star catalogue).

Of course, we plan extensive follow-up of this object.

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