The Early Spectroscopy of Supernovae

Summary

The spectroscopy of a supernova (SN) just after its discovery is quite important not only for the spectral type classification but also for the planning further follow-up observations or the target-of-opportunity observations (ToOs). The early spectroscopy is needed also because the information from the outermost envelope of such exploding objects as SNe cannot be obtained in the later phase. In order to obtain the early spectrum, the quick circulation of the discovery information is important. We introduce our contributions with the public astronomical observatories in Japan, including the case of “hypernova” SN 2002ap discovered by a Japanese amateur astronomer. We summarize the time interval between the discoveries, the announcements, and the first spectral classifications of recent SNe, and discuss what would be required for the early spectroscopy. Present address: National Astronomical Observatory, Japan