ASSOCIAZIONE ASTRONOMICA CORTINA

SUPERNOVAE SEARCH: THE CROSS PROJECT

CROSS (Col Drusciè Remote Observatory Supernovae Search) was the research program of the extragalactic supernovae of the Cortina Astronomical Association, active from 1999 to 2017. The members who participated in the CROSS project used the telescopes of the Col Druscié Observatory through the remote control of the entire structure.

The research program aimed to observe several hundred galaxies every night, part of the more than 2500 galaxies selected from the most massive spirals in the northern hemisphere.

The convenience of being able to manage the telescope directly from  the home computer allowed to follow the galaxies with an almost uninterrupted temporal continuity, weather permitting.

Since November 1999, when the CROSS program began, over 250000 observations of galaxies have been made, allowing the discovery of 41 official supernovae. The first officially recognized, 1999gn in M61, caused a sensation both nationally and internationally, as it was the first time that a researcher was able to discover a supernova comfortably seated in the living room, in pajamas, and from there mnage the observatory, miles away.

As part of the CROSS project a new planet (2000 BY3), which was later named after "Cortina d'Ampezzo", and two novae stars in M31 were also discovered.