SETI public: Fw: AstroAlert: Test of Response to SN Alert

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----- Original Message -----
From: Rick Fienberg
Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 5:14 PM
To: nearby-supernova_at_SkyandTelescope.com
Subject: AstroAlert: Test of Response to SN Alert

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This Is SKY & TELESCOPE's AstroAlert for a Nearby Supernova
==================================================================

Sky & Telescope (S&T) and the SuperNova Early Warning System (SNEWS) plan
to conduct a test of our AstroAlert news service sometime during the next
two weeks. Before we do so, we want to make sure everyone currently
subscribed to the nearby-supernova list still wants to receive alerts --
there has been no activity on this list since its inception in 1999, as we
are still waiting for the first observable Milky Way supernova since 1604!

If you wish to participate in the test as an active observer, or if you
just want to see what happens, you needn't do anything -- you will receive
our mock alert when it is issued. But if you are no longer interested in
the effort to find the next galactic supernova, or if you are unsure why
you received this message at all, we ask that you unsubscribe from our list
by Monday, February 10th. There are two ways to do this:

1. Point your Web browser to the unsubscribe form on S&T's Web site:

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/proamcollab/astroalert/article_333_1.asp

Then enter your e-mail address, check the box labeled "Neutrino-detected
supernovae," and click the Submit button. Or...

2. Send a plain-text e-mail to majordomo_at_SkyandTelescope.com with the
following line -- and nothing else -- in the body of the message:

unsubscribe nearby-supernova e-mail_at_address.com

replacing "e-mail_at_address.com" with your actual e-mail address.

In case you forgot why you joined this list, it is to help astronomers
study the next supernova to explode within our galaxy. The last such event,
which Johannes Kepler observed 400 years ago, rivaled Venus in brightness.
Others have probably popped off since then but were either hidden by gas
and dust in our galaxy or were simply overlooked. Astronomers estimate that
a supernova blows up in the Milky Way every two decades or so.

When they explode, massive stars emit subatomic particles called neutrinos,
which can be detected by special underground observatories 1/2 to 1 day
before the star begins to brighten visibly. If enough neutrinos are
collected by enough of these observatories, the supernova's position might
be determined to an accuracy of plus-or-minus 10 to 15 degrees.

To pinpoint the supernova's location so that telescopes on Earth and in
space can study it, searches of the target area will be urgently needed.
Any equipment might succeed in detecting the supernova -- from the naked
eye, to ordinary cameras, to small telescopes. S&T will work with
astronomers from SNEWS and other organizations to rapidly validate the
position of the supernova and make the coordinates available to
professional and amateur astronomers worldwide. These organizations will
also collect brightness measurements and other observations of the supernova.

Additional background on this project is available in the article
"Supernovae, Neutrinos, and Amateur Astronomers" by Leif J. Robinson.
Adapted from the August 1999 issue of SKY & TELESCOPE, it is on the
magazine's Web site at

http://SkyandTelescope.com/observing/proamcollab/astroalert/article_864_1.asp

More information on neutrino-detected supernovae is also available on the
SNEWS Web site at

http://hep.bu.edu/~snnet/

We don't know when the next galactic supernova will appear. It could be
tonight, or it could be several decades from now. To make sure we're ready
whenever it happens, S&T and SNEWS will conduct an end-to-end test of the
system. Here's how it will work. A mock alert will be issued within the
next two weeks. It will be clearly labeled as a test. The message will
report the right ascension and declination of a spot on the sky, along with
the radius of an error circle some number of degrees in diameter centered
on this spot. It will tell you what type of target to look for within this
area and provide detailed instructions on how to report your observations
to us.

Your assignment will be to get outside as quickly as possible, see if you
can find anything matching our description of the target with whatever
means are at your disposal, and file a report according to our
instructions. We will try to analyze the reports as fast as they come in.
Note that we will not collect images; we'll want the position and
brightness of the "supernova" as determined from your own observations and
analysis. Note that negative results (nondetections) are every bit as
important as positive ones, and that there might, in fact, be nothing
unusual in the target area (as could be the case even with a neutrino
signal from a genuine supernova).

Based on the quality of the information we receive and the effectiveness
with which we are able to deal with it, we will determine if the AstroAlert
system is ready for the next galactic supernova or if we need to make some
improvements. We will share with list members the results of the test,
pointing out which search strategies were most (or least) fruitful and
offering suggestions for how to be optimally prepared should a real
supernova occur. We will probably conduct additional tests at least once a
year, to keep us all "on our toes" and to make sure that those unable to
participate in this month's test for any reason (e.g., out of town, bad
weather) have a chance to practice responding to an alert.

Once again, if you no longer wish to be on the nearby-supernova AstroAlert
list, we encourage you to unsubscribe within the next few days by following
the instructions given above.

Thanks, and clear skies!

    -- Rick Fienberg (SKY & TELESCOPE) and Kate Scholberg (MIT/SNEWS)

==================================================================
AstroAlert is a free service of SKY & TELESCOPE, the Essential
Magazine of Astronomy (http://SkyandTelescope.com/). This e-mail
was sent to AstroAlert subscribers. If you feel you received it
in error, or to unsubscribe from AstroAlert, please send a plain-
text e-mail to majordomo_at_SkyandTelescope.com with the following
line -- and nothing else -- in the body of the message:
unsubscribe nearby-supernova e-mail_at_address.com
replacing "e-mail_at_address.com" with your actual e-mail address.
==================================================================

• Previous message: LARRY KLAES: "SETI public: Fw: NASA ASTROBIOLOGY INSTITUTE TO HOST GENERAL MEETING FEB. 10-12"

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