News Astronomy

Star goes boom, telescopes zoom

Supernova in nearby Pinwheel Galaxy excites astronomers

By Nadia Drake

- More than 2 years ago

Many people appreciate a good light show, but probably not as much as the astronomers who recently spied a rare cosmological treat.

BOOM STAR Astronomers detected supernova PTF 11kly very soon after it exploded (indicated by arrow in the three panels above) in the nearby Pinwheel Galaxy. Caused by a thermonuclear reaction inside a white dwarf star, supernovas of this type — termed 1a — are incredibly bright and are used by scientists to measure the expanding universe.