NGC 5258 and supernova SN 2020dko: a image – 10 Apr. 2020
We captured supernova SN 2020dko and its host galaxy NGC 5258, as part of our supernova follow-up program. Here we share our image.
The image above comes from the average of five, 180-seconds exposures, unfiltered, remotely taken with “Elena” (PlaneWave 17″+Paramount ME+SBIG STL-6303E) robotic unit available at Virtual Telescope. The transient is indicated by an arrow in the upper left inset.
We estimated SN 2020dko as bright as mag. 17.1 (unfiltered, R-mags for the reference stars from the Gaia DR1 star catalogue). This transient was discovered on 25 Feb. 2020 by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) group and it is a type Ia supernova. The host galaxy NGC 5258 forms with the its companion NGC 5257 a pair also known as Arp 240: they show evidence of gravitational interaction. Their distance is estimated to be around 350 millions light years.
Further observations will follow, weather permitting.
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