A dying star’s explosion in a galaxy that is relatively close to Earth (some 21 million light-years away) was photographed by an automatic U.S. telescope a few hours after the fact, prompting astronomers all over the world to point their telescopes towards the event. The brightness of this Type 1a supernova is steadily increasing and may be visible with binoculars in about seven to 10 days. Astronomers believe it may become the brightest Type 1a supernova of the last 30 years.
On August 24, 2011 an automatic telescope from the Palomar Observatory at Caltech captured the new supernova in the Pinwheel spiral galaxy (M101). The computers analyzing the data from the telescope automatically identified the event as a supernova and disseminated the information to a worldwide network of observatories in order to track it better. The supernova was named PTF 11kly. Through light analysis, Peter Nugent and his team at the University of California at Berkeley were able to determine that this is, in fact, a supernova Type 1a.
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This type of explosion happens when a massive star, much larger than our sun, has consumed all of its hydrogen fuel. Its internal nuclear furnace collapses because it can no longer contain the star’s gravity, triggering an explosion that is briefly brighter than the star’s entire galaxy.
The fact that the explosion was captured a few hours after it occurred is very important for astronomers, not only because they’ll be able to watch all its phases, but also because scientists will be able to see fragments of the broken star and find out what kind of star it was before the explosion occurred. Andrew Howelly from the University of California at Santa Barbara puts it this way: “We’re finding new clues to solve the supernova mysteries that have baffled us for the past 70 years. Even though I’ve studied thousands of supernovas, I’ve never seen something like this.”
Image Credit: BJ Fulton, LCOGT
YES! If the supernova occurred on August 24 some 21 million miles from earth, how can we see it within a couple of days. Even at the speed of light, the light of the supernove would take 21 million years to reach earth. Something is wrong. Please cclarify your statements.
Nothing is wrong. In reality we always see the past. Whenever we see the sky we actually seeing the past!! Even in our day to day life we only can see the past. Light takes time to travel through space. Although light travels at a very very high speed (aprox. 3,00000 km/sec.) it has limit. As you know, we see an object when light come from that object to our eyes. Besides, eye takes some time to transmit the signal to brain. Brain in turn process the data and finally we get the knowledge about the object. All this processes takes some time, although this time is very very short(millions of fraction of a second) and we can ignore it in our day-to-day life, but we can’t ignore it anyway in astronomy where objects are million billions of miles apart. So in astronomy whenever some1 says that a supernova is blasting 100 million light years away, every1 understand that actually its happened 100 million years ago!!
l live in northern Ontario Canada.Will l be able to see it and if so where should l look?
Men,
we are simply seeing now what happened 21 million years ago AT 21 million light years from us (the light travelled 21 millions years to reach us).
It is normal for such a kind of explosion follow a well known behaviour of energy release AND electromagnetic radiation (visible light, infrared, UV, radio, x and gamma rays) production in time, called light-curve, so regularly that this kind of supernovae can be used as “standard candles” (in other words, all supernovae of a kind have roughly the same absolute luminosity and the same light curve).
So they regularly increase following the curve (hence is predicted within days or weeks the maximunm light intensity), reach their peak emission, then regularly and steadly decline (during months or years).
I must regret if, specially on the timing of light curve I am non accurate, but I am not an astronomer, only a chemistry professor and researcher wich loves any other science too.
Stay good, folks !
So are we seeing 21 million years ago relative to our now or are we seeing it happenning know I would think iwhat we are seeing happened 21 milln years ago ? All v confusing
So are we seeing 21 million years ago relative to our now or are we seeing it happenning know I would think iwhat we are seeing happened 21 milln years ago ? All v confusing. Will I be able to see it in scotland if so what is its position in our sky? Thanks
Yes, it actually happened 21 million years ago, and the light took all that time to get here.
Location: Stellarium shows it being between and just above the last two stars in the Big Dipper’s handle.
Are you planning an event in Austin (or near by) for the public to be able to view this supernova? Exciting!
Yeah it’s taken 21 million years for the light to reach us, and that’s a heck of a lot more than 21 million miles…
1 light year = 6 trilion miles
21 million light years = ???
What if that is actually our own solar system’s sun exploding long ago.
What if the universe is inside the nucleus of an atom?
What you describe is a Type II not Type Ia supernova. A Tyoe ia supernova is a white dwarf in a binary system.surpassing the Chandrasekar limit (mass) and imploding and exploding.
Yup a type Ia Supernova was a white dwaft which exploded, “15 billion times brighter than the sun (this is why we can see them from halfway across the universe). The white dwarf is completely obliterated”
It would be helpful if you told us where to look!
Could this be the Blue star of the Hopi…or the celestial event predicted by Nostradamus?
I feel like (maybe incorrectly) that people reading this – while being as amazed as I am – are incorrectly associating an event occurring ~21 million light years away = an event happening ~21 million years ago. This event is quite fascinating to me and I would love to determine the equivalent date/age/era on Earth when it occurred. Thanks
~Joe
what was going on 20 million years ago on earth (First giraffes and giant anteaters, increase in bird diversity.) According to wikipedia.
1 light year=6 trillion miles
21 light years = 126 trillion miles?
so based on the mathematics that it takes one light year for light to travel six trillion miles, that supernova was a distance of 126 trillion miles from earth when it exploded?………not that close then!!
Debbie,
Yes, a light-year equals about 5.88 trillion miles. At about 21 million light-years away, it’s my understanding that this is the closest Type 1a supernova in the last 25 years. Not close, but closer than the billion or billions of light-years away for other Type 1a supernova.
Bruce
It’s relative, considering that the universe is 13.7 billion light years in each direction, 21 million light years becomes a small number and relatively close to us when you consider the size of the known universe so far.
will definitely be keeping the binoculars handy over the next ten days!!
Can anyone please provide a simple way to help those who dont know how to locate the supernova, me for instance ;), actually locate it, im dying to see it using my telescope :( pleeeeaaaaaassssseeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Thank you.
Ralph the supernova has peaked in brightness. It’s so faint at this point that you’ll need expert help finding it. See the “widget” on the right side of this page? It can help you find an astronomy club in your area. Be sure to call them and see if they’ve scheduled impromptu supernova parties!
Here’s a link that might also be helpful, although, again, the supernova is pretty faint at this point. http://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see-a-nearby-supernova-this-weekend
All best, and good luck!
Deborah
Finally saw the supernova in Messier 101 last night (Friday, Sept. 9) through the telescope at Clarkson University’s Reynolds Astronomical Observatory. It wasn’t that easy to see, however, in all the drenching moonlight!