Cataclysmic 21-Million-Year-Old Supernova the Closest Explosion of a Star Ever Observed

Astronomers have had the remarkable opportunity to witness the explosive event of a star that occurred 21 million years ago. MailOnline reported that this particular supernova, identified as SN 2023ixf, was observed as a flickering light during observations conducted at the National Astronomical Observatory in Gozo.

SN 2023ixf is considered the closest visible supernova in the past five years. The detection of this cosmic spectacle took place shortly after midnight on Friday, providing researchers with valuable insights, including its classification as a Type II supernova, indicating that it originated from a star at least eight times larger than the Sun.

Supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy

Astrophotographers have succeeded in capturing captivating images of this event, even though it is situated in the depths of space. A type II supernova occurs when a massive star reaches a point where it can no longer sustain fusion reactions in its core, leading to a violent explosion that expels its outer layers.

The resulting light from such an exploding star can remain visible for months or even years. These supernovae are significant because they contribute to the creation of heavy elements, enriching the surrounding space and playing a role in the formation of new stars and planets.

NASA said in a news release that the recently observed supernova, SN 2023ixf, took place in the visually captivating Pinwheel Galaxy (M101). This galaxy, located approximately 21 million light-years away, holds the distinction of being the closest supernova witnessed in the past five years, the second closest in the past decade, and the second supernova observed in M101 within the past 15 years.

The Pinwheel Galaxy is an immense spiral disk, spanning about 170,000 light-years, nearly twice the diameter of our Milky Way. It is estimated to house at least one trillion stars, and its spiral arms feature regions abundant in nebulae, where intense star formation occurs. These nebulae are embedded within vast clouds of molecular hydrogen, and the spiral arms are delineated by clusters of hot, young, blue stars.

Astrophotographers Capturing the Supernova

Many astrophotographers shared the images they captured online. One of them is astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy, known for capturing stunning space imagery and sharing them on his Twitter account. McCarthy created an animation using multiple images of the Pinwheel Galaxy, depicting a blinking light in the corner that represented the exploding star.

By utilizing his existing color data on the galaxy and stacking several exposures totaling approximately 10 minutes, he produced the animation. McCarthy highlighted the proximity of the supernova to the nebulae in the arm of the galaxy, prompting viewers to imagine the view from such a location. He mentioned that he had been photographing the Pinwheel Galaxy for months, and the fortuitous timing allowed him to capture the star's explosion.

Sky At Night Magazine also featured Jane Clark, an amateur astrophotographer and retired physicist from Wales, also captured images of the Pinwheel Galaxy shortly after the announcement of the new supernova.

Despite initially having her telescope focused on another target, Clark stumbled upon news of the supernova on social media and quickly redirected her telescope towards the Pinwheel Galaxy, eager to capture one of the first images, even if the quality was not perfect.

She managed to obtain 90 frames, each lasting 60 seconds, and successfully utilized 69 of them in her final result. Despite being an impromptu endeavor, Clark was pleased with the outcome of her unplanned photojournalistic capture.

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