The Recovery of the Lost Supernova SN 1952DBy Donnie Hodges I have found the location of the "lost" supernova SN 1952D. All that is apparently known about this supernova comes from THE 1971 PALOMAR SUPERNOVA SEARCH, published in 1972 by C. T. Kowal, W. L. W. Sargent, L. Searle, and F. Zwicky. The paper describes 9 supernovae discovered in 1971, and 11 supernovae discovered by examining older photographic plates, taken from 1952 to 1958. SN 1952D was discovered by Fritz Zwicky on a plate dated 17 April 1952, 11″W and 15″N of an anonymous spiral galaxy at coordinates (epoch B1950) 11h 14.9m -02° 48′. A picture of the discovery is included in the report. However, when the given coordinates are translated into the current J2000 epoch, they become 11h 17m 27.104s -03° 04′23.78″, which has since been used as the location for the supernova's supposed host galaxy, now named "Anon J111730-0304", with the supernova being placed about 11″W and 15″N of this location. However, if one compares the original image with a modern survey image of this position, they look nothing alike. It turns out that the 1972 paper has an inexplicable error reporting the supernova's location. Instead of 11h 14.9m -02° 48′, it should have been 11h 13.9m -01° 48′. When these coordinates are translated into the current J2000 epoch, they become 11h 16m 27.32s -02° 04′ 22.94″, which is very close to the galaxy now known as LEDA 1102347. Comparing the original image with modern survey images of LEDA 1102347 reveals an exact match to the star patterns surrounding the galaxy.
First: The original image. (© 1972. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. All rights reserved.). Second: A recent image of LEDA 1102347, using the PanSTARRS survey, with colors inverted. From there, it is a relatively easy task to generate the location of SN 1952D, which I compute to be in J2000 epoch, approximately: 11h 16m 25.23s -02° 04′ 24.7″This location can be explored here using Aladin. Or it can be exploered below, using the Aladin inline viewer:
Image of LEDA 1102347 with approximate location of SN 1952D marked. Image courtesy Legacy Surveys / D. Lang (Perimeter Institute).
Reference: The 1971 Palomar Supernova Search, by C. T. Kowal et al 1972 PASP 84 844, DOI 10.1086/129392 Last updated 10 September 2025
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