Supernovae were originally designated by the year they are discovered in with an accompanying letter to indicate the order of discovery in a given year: e.g., SN 1987A was the first supernova of year 1987. This system was adequate when only 10 to 20 supernova were discovered per year, but has become a nuisance now that hundreds are discovered per year. After Z (supernova 26 of the year) one uses the alphabet as a 26 base system: thus after Z comes aa (yes small letters). For example in 2001 we reached SN 2001ke: this the 291st supernova of the year 2001.
For easy conversion from this dead-hand-of-the-past system, some tables are given below.
Some historical supernova have special names. SN 1572 (the letter is omitted if there was only one SN discovered) is called Tycho since Tycho observed it. SN 1604 is called Kepler since Kepler observed it.
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Symbol Number Symbol Number
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A 1 N 14
B 2 O 15
C 3 P 16
D 4 Q 17
E 5 R 18
F 6 S 19
G 7 T 20
H 8 U 21
I 9 V 22
J 10 W 23
K 11 X 24
L 12 Y 25
M 13 Z 26
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Symbol Number
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a 26
b 52
c 78
d 104
e 130
f 156
g 182
h 208
i 234
j 260
k 286
l 312
m 338
n 364
o 390
p 416
q 442
r 468
s 494
t 520
u 546
v 572
w 598
x 624
y 650
z 676
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Symbol Number Symbol Number Symbol Number Symbol Number
_____________________________________________________________________________
A 1 ft 176 mm 351 tf 526
B 2 fu 177 mn 352 tg 527
C 3 fv 178 mo 353 th 528
D 4 fw 179 mp 354 ti 529
E 5 fx 180 mq 355 tj 530
F 6 fy 181 mr 356 tk 531
G 7 fz 182 ms 357 tl 532
H 8 ga 183 mt 358 tm 533
I 9 gb 184 mu 359 tn 534
J 10 gc 185 mv 360 to 535
K 11 gd 186 mw 361 tp 536
L 12 ge 187 mx 362 tq 537
M 13 gf 188 my 363 tr 538
N 14 gg 189 mz 364 ts 539
O 15 gh 190 na 365 tt 540
P 16 gi 191 nb 366 tu 541
Q 17 gj 192 nc 367 tv 542
R 18 gk 193 nd 368 tw 543
S 19 gl 194 ne 369 tx 544
T 20 gm 195 nf 370 ty 545
U 21 gn 196 ng 371 tz 546
V 22 go 197 nh 372 ua 547
W 23 gp 198 ni 373 ub 548
X 24 gq 199 nj 374 uc 549
Y 25 gr 200 nk 375 ud 550
Z 26 gs 201 nl 376 ue 551
aa 27 gt 202 nm 377 uf 552
ab 28 gu 203 nn 378 ug 553
ac 29 gv 204 no 379 uh 554
ad 30 gw 205 np 380 ui 555
ae 31 gx 206 nq 381 uj 556
af 32 gy 207 nr 382 uk 557
ag 33 gz 208 ns 383 ul 558
ah 34 ha 209 nt 384 um 559
ai 35 hb 210 nu 385 un 560
aj 36 hc 211 nv 386 uo 561
ak 37 hd 212 nw 387 up 562
al 38 he 213 nx 388 uq 563
am 39 hf 214 ny 389 ur 564
an 40 hg 215 nz 390 us 565
ao 41 hh 216 oa 391 ut 566
ap 42 hi 217 ob 392 uu 567
aq 43 hj 218 oc 393 uv 568
ar 44 hk 219 od 394 uw 569
as 45 hl 220 oe 395 ux 570
at 46 hm 221 of 396 uy 571
au 47 hn 222 og 397 uz 572
av 48 ho 223 oh 398 va 573
aw 49 hp 224 oi 399 vb 574
ax 50 hq 225 oj 400 vc 575
ay 51 hr 226 ok 401 vd 576
az 52 hs 227 ol 402 ve 577
ba 53 ht 228 om 403 vf 578
bb 54 hu 229 on 404 vg 579
bc 55 hv 230 oo 405 vh 580
bd 56 hw 231 op 406 vi 581
be 57 hx 232 oq 407 vj 582
bf 58 hy 233 or 408 vk 583
bg 59 hz 234 os 409 vl 584
bh 60 ia 235 ot 410 vm 585
bi 61 ib 236 ou 411 vn 586
bj 62 ic 237 ov 412 vo 587
bk 63 id 238 ow 413 vp 588
bl 64 ie 239 ox 414 vq 589
bm 65 if 240 oy 415 vr 590
bn 66 ig 241 oz 416 vs 591
bo 67 ih 242 pa 417 vt 592
bp 68 ii 243 pb 418 vu 593
bq 69 ij 244 pc 419 vv 594
br 70 ik 245 pd 420 vw 595
bs 71 il 246 pe 421 vx 596
bt 72 im 247 pf 422 vy 597
bu 73 in 248 pg 423 vz 598
bv 74 io 249 ph 424 wa 599
bw 75 ip 250 pi 425 wb 600
bx 76 iq 251 pj 426 wc 601
by 77 ir 252 pk 427 wd 602
bz 78 is 253 pl 428 we 603
ca 79 it 254 pm 429 wf 604
cb 80 iu 255 pn 430 wg 605
cc 81 iv 256 po 431 wh 606
cd 82 iw 257 pp 432 wi 607
ce 83 ix 258 pq 433 wj 608
cf 84 iy 259 pr 434 wk 609
cg 85 iz 260 ps 435 wl 610
ch 86 ja 261 pt 436 wm 611
ci 87 jb 262 pu 437 wn 612
cj 88 jc 263 pv 438 wo 613
ck 89 jd 264 pw 439 wp 614
cl 90 je 265 px 440 wq 615
cm 91 jf 266 py 441 wr 616
cn 92 jg 267 pz 442 ws 617
co 93 jh 268 qa 443 wt 618
cp 94 ji 269 qb 444 wu 619
cq 95 jj 270 qc 445 wv 620
cr 96 jk 271 qd 446 ww 621
cs 97 jl 272 qe 447 wx 622
ct 98 jm 273 qf 448 wy 623
cu 99 jn 274 qg 449 wz 624
cv 100 jo 275 qh 450 xa 625
cw 101 jp 276 qi 451 xb 626
cx 102 jq 277 qj 452 xc 627
cy 103 jr 278 qk 453 xd 628
cz 104 js 279 ql 454 xe 629
da 105 jt 280 qm 455 xf 630
db 106 ju 281 qn 456 xg 631
dc 107 jv 282 qo 457 xh 632
dd 108 jw 283 qp 458 xi 633
de 109 jx 284 qq 459 xj 634
df 110 jy 285 qr 460 xk 635
dg 111 jz 286 qs 461 xl 636
dh 112 ka 287 qt 462 xm 637
di 113 kb 288 qu 463 xn 638
dj 114 kc 289 qv 464 xo 639
dk 115 kd 290 qw 465 xp 640
dl 116 ke 291 qx 466 xq 641
dm 117 kf 292 qy 467 xr 642
dn 118 kg 293 qz 468 xs 643
do 119 kh 294 ra 469 xt 644
dp 120 ki 295 rb 470 xu 645
dq 121 kj 296 rc 471 xv 646
dr 122 kk 297 rd 472 xw 647
ds 123 kl 298 re 473 xx 648
dt 124 km 299 rf 474 xy 649
du 125 kn 300 rg 475 xz 650
dv 126 ko 301 rh 476 ya 651
dw 127 kp 302 ri 477 yb 652
dx 128 kq 303 rj 478 yc 653
dy 129 kr 304 rk 479 yd 654
dz 130 ks 305 rl 480 ye 655
ea 131 kt 306 rm 481 yf 656
eb 132 ku 307 rn 482 yg 657
ec 133 kv 308 ro 483 yh 658
ed 134 kw 309 rp 484 yi 659
ee 135 kx 310 rq 485 yj 660
ef 136 ky 311 rr 486 yk 661
eg 137 kz 312 rs 487 yl 662
eh 138 la 313 rt 488 ym 663
ei 139 lb 314 ru 489 yn 664
ej 140 lc 315 rv 490 yo 665
ek 141 ld 316 rw 491 yp 666
el 142 le 317 rx 492 yq 667
em 143 lf 318 ry 493 yr 668
en 144 lg 319 rz 494 ys 669
eo 145 lh 320 sa 495 yt 670
ep 146 li 321 sb 496 yu 671
eq 147 lj 322 sc 497 yv 672
er 148 lk 323 sd 498 yw 673
es 149 ll 324 se 499 yx 674
et 150 lm 325 sf 500 yy 675
eu 151 ln 326 sg 501 yz 676
ev 152 lo 327 sh 502 za 677
ew 153 lp 328 si 503 zb 678
ex 154 lq 329 sj 504 zc 679
ey 155 lr 330 sk 505 zd 680
ez 156 ls 331 sl 506 ze 681
fa 157 lt 332 sm 507 zf 682
fb 158 lu 333 sn 508 zg 683
fc 159 lv 334 so 509 zh 684
fd 160 lw 335 sp 510 zi 685
fe 161 lx 336 sq 511 zj 686
ff 162 ly 337 sr 512 zk 687
fg 163 lz 338 ss 513 zl 688
fh 164 ma 339 st 514 zm 689
fi 165 mb 340 su 515 zn 690
fj 166 mc 341 sv 516 zo 691
fk 167 md 342 sw 517 zp 692
fl 168 me 343 sx 518 zq 693
fm 169 mf 344 sy 519 zr 694
fn 170 mg 345 sz 520 zs 695
fo 171 mh 346 ta 521 zt 696
fp 172 mi 347 tb 522 zu 697
fq 173 mj 348 tc 523 zv 698
fr 174 mk 349 td 524 zw 699
fs 175 ml 350 te 525 zx 700
zy 701
zz 702