Posted on 05/25/2023 11:55:32 AM PDT by Red Badger
The Pinwheel Galaxy has a new bright spot. ... an animation showing a bright star explosion appearing in a spiral galaxy
Long Island, New York-based astrophotographer Steven Bellavia produced this composite animation of the Pinwheel Galaxy using an image taken on April 21 and comparing it to another image taken on May 21, which clearly shows the supernova appearing. (Image credit: Steven Bellavia) Astronomers and amateurs alike are excited about a new star explosion visible in small telescopes.
The new supernova popped into visibility on May 19 in the Pinwheel Galaxy, (also designated as Messier 101, or M101). The galaxy is visible in a small telescope under dark-sky conditions, as long as you use a wide field of view and a low-power eyepiece.
Supernova hunter Koichi Itagaki, from Yamagata, Japan, first spotted the explosion, which was confirmed the following day (May 20) by telescopes of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in California.
Long-exposure photographs make the supernova easier to spot. The supernova was formed when a star, much more massive than our own sun, ran out of fuel to burn in its core. Since the core could not support the mass of the star any more, the star collapsed on itself and created a gigantic explosion.
Several observers shared their excitement on Twitter, often aided by imagery or data as they talked about the supernova with the public.
Related: This new supernova is the closest to Earth in a decade. It's visible in the night sky right now.
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California joined several amateur astronomers in providing footage of the supernova, which is easily visible in amateur telescopes.
Professional astronomers shared data or alerted the community about the rare event, which may be a little hard to spot if you're not used to looking for such things.
"Just note that this galaxy and supernova aren't the easiest objects to spot in the sky," Space.com writer Joe Rao wrote in a recent story.
"Part of the reason for its visibility being problematic is its apparent size: M101 is roughly one-third the apparent diameter of the moon; thus its overall brightness is 'spread out' to such a degree that the contrast between it and the background sky makes it somewhat difficult to perceive."
If you want to look at M101 or any other deep-sky objects, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start. We can also help you take pictures of this new supernova with our guides to how to photograph the moon, as well as the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.
Several folks commented on how smoke from huge wildfires in Canada's west affected observations, but the supernova was nevertheless still visible through the haze.
Some folks used the opportunity to comment on activities by SpaceX and its billionaire CEO, Elon Musk.
SpaceX has sent more than 4,000 Starlink broadband spacecraft into orbit to date, and the company has been criticized for the satellites' effect on amateur astronomy as they cross in front of objects.
New Supernova?.............I thought all supernovas were ‘new’....................
But is it a Champagne Supernova.
What’s the difference between a ‘nova’ and a ‘supernova’?
If you are in the near vicinity, not much..................
and by new they mean 21 million years old.
“What’s the difference between a ‘nova’ and a ‘supernova’?”
Nova - 6cyl
SuperNova - 327 V8
Well, if you get hit by either one you’re still dead as a doorknob!..................
Cool photo!
Having worked in the industry -
just how many light years was this?
Even the warmth you feel on your skin
is a million years old.
Take a few physics classes and hang with the
worlds most prominent astro-physicists
for a few years and you learn stuff.
Every atom in my body is several billion years old.......................
One of my sons and I are planning to go out tonight to photograph it.
No. But this is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI-5uv4wryI
Dang fireflies... Always a problem...
Too bad about the civilizations nearby that supernova.
They will know their end is coming that will bath the whole planet by lethal radiation.
The starships they were capable of building will not be completed as the local politicians were to short sighted to continue to fund it....
Thanks Red Badger.
Messier Object 101... if you thought it was Messier before, it's even Messier now...
Why yes, I have used that one at least a hundred times.
Not 101 times?.................
[singing] a silly millimeter longer, 101...
In 1987 in the Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf satellite galaxy of the Milky Way, a supernova occured. It was close enough that neutrinos from the explosion were detected. Because this new one is about 5000 times as far away I doubt any neutrinos were detected .
They will arrive in a few hundred years............They are slow.................
The stars that blow up like this tend to die very young. Not enough time for life to evolve for any planets in orbit.
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