The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope captured stunning images of a supernova and its host galaxy, LEDA 132905. This distant galaxy is located in the constellation Sculptor, more than 400 million light-years away. Despite its vast distance, its faint spiral structure and clusters of bright blue stars are clearly visible.
In the center of the image, between the Milky Way's luminous core and the fainter left edge, a bright white spot marks the location of supernova SN2022abvt. The stellar explosion was discovered in late 2022 and observed by Hubble about two months later.
The image was created using data from studies of Type Ia supernovae, powerful stellar explosions that occur when nuclear fusion suddenly occurs in the exposed core of a dead star. These special supernovae are valuable to astronomers because they are cosmic measurement tools that help determine the precise distances of distant galaxies.
The universe is huge, and supernova explosions are fleeting. How can you catch a supernova at the right time and place? Today, most supernovae are discovered through robotic telescopes that constantly scan the night sky. But some supernovae are still discovered the old-fashioned way, by careful observers repeatedly taking images of the sky and looking for changes.
The Asteroid Final Alert System (ATLAS) discovered SN2022abvt. As its name suggests, ATLAS is designed to track weak, fast-moving signals from asteroids approaching Earth. In addition to searching for asteroids, ATLAS also focuses on objects that suddenly brighten or dim, such as supernovae, variable stars and the center of the Milky Way powered by hungry black holes.
Compiled from /ScitechDaily