A new supernova was observed to appear in the Cigar Galaxy, a galaxy which is approximately 12 million light years away from Ursa Major, a constellation in the Milky Way. This exploding star is the closest supernova to our planet to be observed in 20 years.
The supernova was first observed by students from the University College London (UCL) and could be easily seen by those who live in the Northern Hemisphere. Situated between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, the supernova is bright enough to be seen with a pair of binoculars.
Aside from creating a spectacle, the supernova could provide an opportunity for scientists to study more about the dark energy in our universe. On Tuesday, Jan. 21, students led by Steve Fossey from UCL first saw the supernova.
“It was a surreal and exciting experience taking images of the unidentified object as Steve ran around the observatory verifying the result”, said UCL student Guy Pollack to SPACE.com.
Astronomers from Caltech classified the supernova as a young red Type Ia supernova. This type of supernovas shines with the same brightness at their peaks, making them “standard candles”. These standard candles guide scientists in calculating distance across various points in the universe.
However, in order to come up with data to study more about dark energy, astronomer Brad Tucker from the Australian National University and the University of California, Berkeley said that scientists should come up with more precise measurements.
"The two large problems with using Ia for distance measurements, are the progenitors, what the star that explodes actually is, and how dust affects these measurements," Tucker expounded in an email. "So the fact that this [supernova] is a Type Ia, caught young, means we have a good chance of finding clues to the explosion."
Furthermore, the red color of the supernova is an indication that it was born in a dusty environment.
The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams of the International Astronomical Union has listed sightings of the supernova under the temporary code, PSN J09554214+6940260. Also, images gathered from the KAIT robotic telescope, a telescope dedicated to look for supernovas at the Lick Observatory in California, confirmed that the supernova is not yet present as of Jan. 15, which clearly indicates that it’s only a few days old.
"By knowing there is lots of dust, we can analyze out how the dust is impacting the colors of the [supernova] and therefore the distance measurements, and use this to calibrate other [supernovas]," Tucker added. "In short, this is the Holy Grail."
