Scientists Capture Supernova As Massive Star Explodes Millions Of Light-Years Away

A team of astronomers said that a powerful telescope captured a supernova event. The huge, over eight-meter (over 26 feet) wide Gemini North telescope, located atop Hawaii's Mauna Kea at 13,824 feet observed this space blast.

The supernova, dubbed "SN 2023ixf," was discovered on 19 May by Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki. This dazzling point of light, the closest supernova seen in the past five years, is located along one of the spiral arms of the Pinwheel Galaxy (Messier 101), the National Science Foundation's NOIRLab said in a release.

Witnessing such a vivid supernova is rare.

"This is the closest supernova to be discovered within the last five years and the second supernova to occur in Messier 101 within the past 15 years, following a Type I supernova observed in 2011," NOIRLab said in a statement.

The Pinwheel Galaxy is located approximately 21 million light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major and is one of the most photographed galaxies in the night sky. Its face-on orientation to Earth offers a pristine view of its 170,000 light-year diameter and allows observers to marvel at its nearly one trillion stars. Speckled throughout its swirling spiral arms are large regions of star-forming nebulae, indicated by the glowing pink pockets of light. Young, hot, blue stars populate the galaxy as well, interlaced with dark dust lanes that aid in fueling the newly birthed stars.

In the image, SN 2023ixf can be spotted in one of the galaxy's spiral arms as an exceptionally bright blue star. Follow-up observations of SN 2023ixf by both amateur and professional astronomers indicate that it is a Type II supernova. This is the closest supernova to be discovered within the last five years and the second supernova to occur in Messier 101 within the past 15 years, following a Type I supernova observed in 2011.

This supernova is a prime example of the types of discoveries that will be made by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory when it comes online in 2025. Rubin's powerful camera and unprecedented scanning ability will allow it to quickly detect and image supernovae and other transient events in the dynamic sky. Other powerful telescopes, like those that comprise the International Gemini Observatory.

Last month, astronomers discovered the largest cosmic explosion that has ever been witnessed. The event took place eight billion light years away from Earth and lasted for three years. It was also more than ten times brighter than any known supernova.

The cosmic explosion named AT2021lwx was first detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility in California in 2020. The facility scans the night sky for sudden increases in brightness to spot cosmic events including passing asteroids, comets, and supernovas. Later the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii picked up the signal, the report added.