Hubble's observations of the galaxy UGC 5189A and the unusually bright supernova SN2010jl have provided important information about the nature and consequences of supernovae. This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a relatively small galaxy, UGC 5189A, located about 150 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. Hubble observed this galaxy to study a supernova explosion called SN2010jl that occurred in 2010.
What's special about this supernova is that it's an unusually bright supernova. In fact, over the course of three years, SN2010jl released at least 2.5 billion times more energy in visible light alone than the Sun releases across all wavelengths in the same time period.
Even after supernovae fade beyond observability, it is still interesting to study the environment in which they occurred. This can provide astronomers with valuable information: Supernovae occur for many reasons, and understanding the environment in which they occur can help us better understand the conditions necessary to trigger them. In addition, following supernovae after they occur can also provide a better understanding of the immediate consequences of such events, from the strong effects on surrounding gas and dust to the stellar remnants they leave behind.
To this end, Hubble has conducted multiple observations of UGC5189A since 2010. This image comes from data collected in three new Hubble studies of UGC 5189A, which also looked at several other relatively nearby galaxies that have recently gone supernova -- and by "relatively close" I mean about 100 million light-years away.
Compiled source: ScitechDaily