unknownskywalker:

First supernova of the year

This image taken by Adam Block of the Caelum Observatory shows the first supernova of the year, SN 2012a, which was spotted a couple of weeks ago in the galaxy NGC 3239 (or Arp 263) in the constellation of Leo, about 49 million light-years away. The supernova isn’t that really bright star (which is probably a star in our own galaxy that happens to be superposed on the galaxy) but instead the fainter one indicated (red square, center).

The odd shape of the galaxy is probably the result of the collision of two separate galaxies which are still in the process of merging. The pinkish glow is from gas clouds actively forming stars, and the overall blue tinge is from massive, hot, young stars, again probably triggered by the galaxy collisions. In fact, SN 2012a is a type-II supernova, which is when a massive star explodes, and these are short-lived stars.

The supernova is bright enough to be spotted in amateur-astronomy sized telescopes. Adam Block has access to a telescope nearly a meter across which is equipped with an excellent camera, so his image is spectacular. We’re looking well away from the obscuring dust in our own galaxy, as well as toward a part of the Universe littered with distant galaxies.

This is another fairly bright supernova caught early in its eruption and new observations indicate the supernova has brightened considerably since its discovery.