Supernova 1954J (Variable 12) in NGC 2403 Unmasked

Abstract

We have confirmed that the precursor star of the unusual Supernova 1954J (also known as Variable 12) in NGC 2403 survived what appears to have been a super-outburst, similar to the 1843 Great Eruption of eta Carinae in the Galaxy. The apparent survivor has changed little in brightness and color over the last eight years, and a Keck spectrum reveals characteristics broadly similar to those of eta Car. This is further suggested by our identification of the actual outburst-surviving star in high-resolution images obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope. We reveal this ``supernova impostor'' as a highly luminous (M_V^0 ~ -8.0 mag), very massive (M_initial >~ 25 Msun) eruptive star, now surrounded by a dusty (A_V ~ 4 mag) nebula, similar to eta Car's famous Homunculus.

13 pages, 10 figures, to appear in the 2005 June PASP