A light curve, along with spectral analysis, define the nature of a supernova. Shown at left is a light curve for SN 1991T plotted from independent visual observations by Mr. Galaxy and Stephen Knight, co-discoverers of SN1991T. The observed data shows a good fit to the light curve of a slow type I supernova illustrated by Thompson & Bryan in their book, The Supernova Search Charts. Click here to see a larger image (640x498). |
Supernovae are easier to detect and, hence, are more often found in bigger, brighter, and older galaxies than in smaller, less luminous, and younger galaxies. Spiral galaxies statistically produce more supernovae than do elliptical galaxies. Also, galaxies having the following morphological types are more likely to contain supernovae: Sc, Sb, S, Sa, and E.
The only absolutely sure way to confirm your discovery is to have it confirmed through spectroscopy at one of the university or professional observatories. But before you do that, there are some preliminary confirmation steps that need to be taken, as follows: