Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The classification of supernovae

  • Published:
Astrophysics and Space Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The present status of the Minkowski-Zwicky supernova classification is reviewed. Some very recent theoretical and observational results are mentioned, and their direct impact in our knowledge of the physics of supernovae and their classification are discussed. We also examine the possibility of imagine an alternative based taxonomy for supernovae, derived mainly from what we know about the physical processes involved in those stars, trying to correlate these physical types to the observational evidences available, in order to see if such a scheme would be useful, in practical terms.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aglietta, M., Badino, G., Bologna, G., Castagnoli, C., Castellina, A., Dadykin, V. L., Fulgione, W., Galeotti, P., Kalchukov, F. F., Kortchagnin, V. B., Kortchagnin, P. V., Malguin, A. S., Ryasny, V. G., Ryazhkaya, O. G., Saavedra, O., Talochkin, V. P., Trinchero, G., Vernetto, S., Zatsepin, G. T., and Yakushev, V. F.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESO Workshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexeyev, E. N., Alexeyeva, L. N., Krivosheina, I. V., and Volchenko, V. I.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESO Workshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andriesse, C. D., Donn, B. D., and Viotti, R.: 1978,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 185, 771.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, W. D.: 1971,Astrophys. J. 163, 11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, W. D.: 1979,Astrophys. J. 230, L37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, W. D. and Falk, S. W.: 1976,Astrophys. J. 210, 733.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashworth, W. B., Jr.: 1980,J. Histo. Astron. 11, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baade, W. and Minkowski, R.: 1954,Astrophys. J. 119, 206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbon, R., Ciatti, F., and Rosino, L.: 1973,Astron. Astrophys. 25, 241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barbon, R., Ciatti, F., and Rosino, L.: 1979,Astron. Astrophys. 72, 287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartunov, O. S., Makarova, I. N., and Tsvetkov, D. Yu.: 1991,Soviet Astron. Letters 17, 71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Begelman, M. C. and Sarazin, C. L.: 1986,Astrophys. J. 302, L59

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertola, F.: 1963,Asiago Contribution No. 142.

  • Bertola, F.: 1964,Ann. Astrophys. 27, 319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertola, F., Mammano, A., and Perinotto, M.: 1965,Contribution Asiago Obs 174, 51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanco, V. M., Gregory, B., Hamuy, M., Heathcote, S. R., Phillips, M. M., Suntzeff, N. B., Terndrup, D. M., Walker, A. R., Williams, R. E., Pastoriza, M. G., Storchi-Bergmann, T., and Matthews, J.: 1987, Preprint.

  • Bodenheimer, P. and Woosley, S. E.: 1983,Astrophys. J. 269, 281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Branch, D.: 1986,Astrophys. J. 300, L51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Branch, D. and Greenstein, J. L.: 1971,Astrophys. J. 167, 89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Branch, D. and Nomoto, K.: 1986,Astron. Astrophys. 164, L13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Branch, D., Nomoto, K., and Filippenko, A. V.: 1991,Comm. Astrophys. 15, 221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brecher, K. and Wasserman, I.: 1980,Astrophys. J. 240, L105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brosche, P.: 1967,Inf. Bull. Var. Stars No. 192.

  • Burrows, A., Shankar, A., and Van Riper, K. A.: 1991,Astrophys. J. 379, L7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catchpole, R. M., Menzies, J. W., Monk, A. S., Wargan, W. F., Pollaco, D., Carter, B. S., Whitelock, P. A., Marang, F., Lancy, C. D., Balona, L. A., Feast, M. W., Lloyd Evans, T. H. H., Sekiguchi, K., Laing, J. D., Kilkenny, D. M., Spencer Jones, J., Roberts, G., Cousins, A. W. J., van Vuuren, G., and Winkler, H.: 1987a,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc.,229, 15P.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catchpole, R. M., Whitelock, P. A., Feast, M. W., Menzies, J. W., Glass, I. S., Marang, F., Laing, J. D., Spencer Jones, J. H., Roberts, G., Balona, L. A., Carter, B. S., Laney, C. D. Lloyd Evans, T., Sekiguchi, K., Hutchinson, M. G., Maddison, R., Albinson, J., Evans, A., Allen, D. A., Winkler, H., Fairall, A., Corbally, C., Davies, J. K., and Parker, Q. A.: 1987b,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc;, 231, 75P.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chevalier, R. A.:Astrophys. J. 208, 826.

  • Chevalier, R. A. and Plait, P. C.: 1988,Astrophys. J. 331, L109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chu, S.: 1968,J. Korean Astron. Soc. 1, 29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chugai, N. N.: 1986,Soviet Astron. Letters 12, 120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarck, D. H. and Caswell, J. L.: 1976,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 174, 267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Contini, M.: 1987,Astron. Astrophys. 183, 53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cristiani, S.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESOWorkshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dallaporta, N.: 1973,Astron. Astrophys. 29, 393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Danziger, I. J. and Dennefeld, M.: 1976,Astrophys. J. 207, 394

    Google Scholar 

  • da Silva, L. A. L.: 1990a,Astrophys. Space Sci. 165, 255.

    Google Scholar 

  • da Silva, L. A. L.: 1990b,Rev. Mexicana Astron. Astrof. 21, 471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, K. and Humphreys, R. M.: 1986,Astron. Astrophys. 164, L7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, K., Walborn, N. R., and Gull, T. R.: 1982,Astrophys. J. 254, 247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doom, C., De Greve, J. P., and de Loore, C.: 1986,Astrophys. J. 303, 136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dopita, M. A.: 1988, Preprint.

  • Dopita, M. A., Dawe, J. A., Achilleos, N., Brissenden, R. J. V., Flynn, C., Meatheringham, S. J., Rawlings, S., Tuohy, I. R., McNaught, R. D., Coates, D. W., Hancy, S., Thompson, K., Shobbrook, R. R.: 1988,Astron. J. 95, 1717.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellias, J. H., Matthews, K., Neugebauer, G., and Persson, S. E.: 1985,Astrophys. J. 296, 379.

    Google Scholar 

  • Falk, S. W. and Arnett, W. D.: 1973,Astrophys. J. 180, L65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, A., Marraco, H. G., and Muzzio, J. G.: 1973,Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 12, 331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fesen, R. A., Becker, R. H., and Goodrich, R. W.: 1988,Astrophys. J. 329, L89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filippenko, A. V.: 1988a,Astron. J. 96, 1941.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filippenko, A. V.: 1988b,IAU Circ. No. 4587.

  • Filippenko, A. V.: 1988c,Proc. Astron. Soc. Australia 7, 540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filippenko, A. V.: 1988d,Astron. J. 97, 726.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filippenko, A. V.: 1990,IAU Circ. No. 5003.

  • Filippenko, A. V. and Sargent, W. L. W.: 1986,Astron. J. 91, 691.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freedman, D. Z., Schramm, D. N., and Tubbs, D. L.: 1977,Ann. Rev. Nucl. Sci. 27, 167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galeotti, P. and Raiteri, C. M.: 1988,Astron. Astrophys. 190, 69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaskell, C. M., Cappellaro, E., Dinerstein, H. L., Garnett, D. R., Harkness, R. P., Wheeler, J. C.: 1986,Astrophys. J. 306, L77

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodrich, R. W., Stringfellow, G. S., Penrod, G. D., and Filippenko, A. V.: 1989,Astrophys. J. 342, 908.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, J. R.: 1987,Astrophys. J. 318, L47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, J. R.: 1988,Astrophys. J. 326, L51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grasberg, E. K. and Nadezhin, D. K.: 1986,Soviet Astron. Letters 12, 68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hachisu, I., Kato, M., and Saio, H.: 1989,Astrophys. J. 342, L19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamuy, M., Suntzeff, N. B., Gonzalez, R., and Martin, G.: 1988,Astron. J. 95, 63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harkness, R. P. and Wheeler, J. C.: 1990, in A. Petschek (ed.),Supernovae, Springer-Verlag, p. 1.

  • Helfand, D. J. and Becker, R. H.: 1984,Nature 307, 215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirata, K., Kajita, T., Koshiba, M., Nakahata, M., Oyama, Y., Sato, N., Suzuki, A., Takita, M., Totsuka, Y., Kifune, T., Suda, T., Takahashi, K., Tamimori, T., Miyano, K., Yamada, M., Beier, E. W., Feldscher, L. R., Kim, S. B., Manu, A. K., Newcomer, F. M., Van Bey, R., Zhang, W., and Cortez, B. G.: 1987,Phys. Rev. Letters 58, 1490.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoyle, F. and Fowler, W. A.: 1960,Astrophys. J. 132, 565.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphreys, R. M. and Aaronson, M.: 1987,Astrophys. J. 318, L69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Humphreys, R. M., Jones, T. J., and Gehrz, R. D.: 1987,Astron. J. 94, 315. Iben, I., Jr. and Renzini, A.: 1983,Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 21, 271.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iben, I., Jr. and Tutukov, A.: 1984,Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 54, 335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joutras, D. and Cline, D.: 1988,Astrophys. Letters Comm. 26, 341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamper, W. K.: 1980,Observatory 100, 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamper, K. and van den Bergh, S.: 1976,Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 32, 351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karovska, M., Koechlin, L., Nisenson, P., Papaliolios, C., and Standley, C.: 1988,IAU Circ. No. 4604.

  • Khokhlov, A. M.: 1991,Astron. Astrophys. 245, 114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khokhlov, A. M. and Ergma, E. V.: 1986,Soviet Astron. Letters 12, 152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koshiba, M.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESO Workshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasher, G.: 1975,Astrophys. J. 201, 194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasker, B. M.: 1978,Astrophys. J. 223, 109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, R., Isern, J., Canal, R., and Labay, J.: 1986a,Astron. Astrophys. 155, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lopez, R., Isern, J., Labay, J., and Canal, R.: 1986b,Rev. Mexicana Astron. Astrofiz. 13, 41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maeder, A.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESOWorkshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manchester, R. N.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESOWorkshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Market, T. H., Canizares, C. R., Clark, G. W., and Winkler, P. F.: 1981,Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 12, 799.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathewson, D. S., Dopita, M. A., Tuohy, I. R., and Ford, V. L.: 1980,Astrophys. J. 242, L73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matteucci, F. and Greggio, L.: 1986,Astron. Astrophys. 154, 279.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCray, R., Schull, J. M., and Sutherland, P.: 1987,Astrophys. J. 317, L73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menzies, J. W.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESO Workshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Menzies, J. W., Catchpole, R. M., Van Vuuren, G., Winkler, H., Lancy, C. D., Whitelock, P. A., Cousins, A. W. J., Carter, B. S., Marang, F., Lloyd Evans, T. H. H., Roberts, G., Kilkenny, D., Spencer Jones, J., Sekiguchi, K., Fairall, A. P., and Wolstencroft, R. D.: 1987,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 227, 39P.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milone, L. A., Paolantonio, S., Briggi, V., Mendicini, D., and Minniti, E.: 1988,Astrophys. Space Sci. 150, 291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minkowski, R.: 1941,Publ. Astron. Soc. Pacific 53, 224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller, E., Höfflich, P., and Khokhlov, A.: 1991,Astron. Astrophys. 249, L1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murdin, P. and Clark, D. H.: 1979,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 189, 501.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadezhin, D. K. and Utrobin, V. P.: 1976,Soviet Astron. 20, 562.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nomoto, K.: 1982,Astrophys. J. 257, 780.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nomoto, K., Thielemann, F.-K., Yokoi, K., and Brach, D.: 1986,Astrophys. Space Sci. 118, 305.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oemler, A., Jr. and Tinsley, B. M.: 1979,Astron. J. 84, 985.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostriker, J. P. and Gunn, J. E.: 1969,Astrophys. J. 157, 1395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porter, A. C. and Filippenko, A. V.: 1987,Astron. J. 93, 1372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pskovskii, Yu. P.: 1972,Soviet Astron. 16, 23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pskovskii, Yu. P.: 1977a,Soviet Astron. Letters 3, 215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pskovskii, Yu. P.: 1977b,Soviet Astron. 21, 675.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pskovskii, Yu. P.: 1978,Soviet Astron. 22, 201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saenz, R. A. and Shapiro, S. L.: 1981,Astrophys. J. 244, 1033.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, L.: 1978,Astrophys. J. 168, 41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seward, F. D., Harnden, F. R., and Helfand, D. J.: 1984,Astrophys. J. 287, L19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, P. R. and Sutherland, P. G.: 1982,Astrophys. J. 263, 902.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaver, P. A.: 1982,Astron. Astrophys. 105, 306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shklovskii, I. S.: 1979,Nature 279, 703.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shklovskii, I. S.: 1982,Soviet Astron. Letters 8, 188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shklovskii, I. S.: 1983,Soviet Astron. Letters 9, 250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stringfellow, G. S. and Woosley, S. E.: 1988, Preprint.

  • Svoboda, R.: 1987, in I. J. Danzinger (ed.),ESOWorkshop on the SN 1987A, ESO, Garching, p. 229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terlevich, R. and Melnick, J.: 1985,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 213, 841.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thé, P. S., Bakker, R., and Antalova, A.: 1980,Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 41, 93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uomoto, A.: 1986,Astrophys. J. 310, L35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Utrobin, V. P.: 1984,Astrophys. Space Sci. 98, 115.

    Google Scholar 

  • van den Bergh, S.: 1988,Astrophys. J. 327, 156.

    Google Scholar 

  • van den Bergh, S. and Dodd, W.: 1970,Astrophys. J. 162, 485.

    Google Scholar 

  • van den Bergh, S. and Pritchet, C. J.: 1986,Astrophys. J. 307, 723.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagoner, R. V.: 1979,Comm. Astrophys. 8, 121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warner, B.: 1974,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 167, 61P.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webbink, R. F.: 1984,Astrophys. J. 277, 355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weigelt, G. and Ebersberger, J.: 1986,Astron. Astrophys. 163, L5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiler, K. W. and Sramek, R. A.: 1988,Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 26, 295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiler, K. W., Shuyler, D. D., Panagia, N., Sramek, R. A., and Discenna, J. L.: 1991,Astrophys. J. 380, 161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westerlund, B. E. and Mathewson, D. S.: 1986,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 131, 371.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, J. C.: 1978,Astrophys. J. 225, 212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, J. C.: 1991, in J. C. Wheeler, T. Piran, and S. Weinberg (eds.),Supernovae, World Scientific, Singapore, p. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, J. C. and Harkness, R. H.: 1986, in B. M. Madore and R. B. Tully (eds.),Proceedings of NATO Advanced Study Workshop on Distances of Galaxies and Deviations from the Hubble Flow, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, J. C. and Harkness, R. P.: 1987,Sci. Am. 257(5, 50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, J. C. and Harkness, R. P.: 1990,Rep. Prog. Phys. 53, 1467.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, J. C. and Levreault, R.: 1985,Astrophys. J. 294, L17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, J. C., Harkness, R. P., Barker, E. S., Cochran, A. L., and Wills, D.: 1987,Astrophys. J. 313, L69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whelan, J. and Iben, I., Jr.: 1973,Astrophys. J. 186, 1007.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wild, P.: 1961,IAU Circ. No. 1764.

  • Woosley, S. E., Tamm, R. E., and Weaver, T. A.: 1986,Astrophys. J. 301, 601.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zentsova, A. S.: 1976,Soviet Astron. 19, 551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwicky, F.: 1964a,Ann. Astrophys. 27, 300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwicky, F.: 1964b,Astrophys. J. 139, 514.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zwicky, F.: 1965, in L. H. Aller and D. B. McLaughlin (eds.),Stellar Structure, University of Chicago, Chicago, p. 367.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Astronomia, Instituto de Física, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    L. A. L. Da Silva

Authors
  1. L. A. L. Da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Da Silva, L.A.L. The classification of supernovae. Astrophys Space Sci 202, 215–236 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00626878

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00626878

Keywords

Search

Navigation