Bright Supernova in M82
From NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the
Day
Astronomers really don't
find supernovae by looking for the arrows. But in this
image taken January 23rd, an arrow does point to an exciting,
new supernova, now cataloged as SN 2014J, in nearby bright galaxy M82.
Located near the Big
Dipper in planet Earth's sky, M82 is also known as the Cigar
Galaxy, a popular target for telescopes in the northern hemisphere. In
fact, SN 2014J was first
spotted as an unfamiliar source in the otherwise familiar galaxy by
teaching fellow Steve Fossey and astronomy workshop students Ben Cooke, Tom
Wright, Matthew Wilde and Guy Pollack at the University College London
Observatory on the evening of January 21.
M82 is a mere 12 million
light-years away (so the supernova explosion did happen 12
million years ago, that light just now reaching Earth), making supernova SN
2014J one of the closest to be seen in recent decades.
Spectra indicate it is a Type Ia supernova caused
by the explosion of a white dwarf accreting matter from a
companion star. By some estimates two weeks away from its maximum brightness,
SN 2014J is already the brightest part of M82 and visible in small telescopes
in the evening sky.
