An Echo of Supernova 2008bk

Abstract

I have discovered a prominent light echo around the low-luminosity Type II-Plateau Supernova (SN) 2008bk in NGC 7793, seen in archival images obtained with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The echo is a partial ring, brighter to the north and east than to the south and west. The analysis of the echo I present suggests that it is due to the SN light pulse scattered by a sheet, or sheets, of dust located ~15 pc from the SN. The composition of the dust is assumed to be of standard Galactic diffuse interstellar grains. The visual extinction of the dust responsible for the echo is A_V ~ 0.05 mag, in addition to the extinction due to the Galactic foreground toward the host galaxy. That the SN experienced much less overall extinction implies that it is seen through a less dense portion of the interstellar medium in its environment. The late-time HST photometry of SN 2008bk also clearly demonstrates that the progenitor star has vanished.

9 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the Astronomical Journal

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• The resolved stellar populations around 12 Type IIP supernovae
• A study of the low-luminosity Type II-Plateau supernova 2008bk
• Type II supernovae from the Carnegie Supernova Project-I. I. Bolometric light curves of 74 SNe II using uBgVriYJH photometry
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• The Iron Yield of Normal Type II Supernovae
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• A Snapshot Survey of Nearby Supernovae with the Hubble Space Telescope
• New X-ray Supernova Remnants in NGC 7793