The supernova is one of the brightest stars in a decade. Here’s how to see it.

• A supernova exploded in the Pinwheel galaxy, 21 million light-years away.
• Named SN 2023ixf, it distinguishes itself by being one of the brightest seen in a decade.
• It is so bright that it can be seen from Earth. Here are some tips for seeing it from your own backyard.

A supernova explosion in a nearby galaxy provides an unexpected spectacle for amateur astronomers.

The supernova, which appeared in the Pinwheel Galaxy 21 million light-years away, is one of the largest and brightest in our sky in a decade, Space.com reports. mentioned.

Scientists will be watching this discovery closely, as it could reveal new information about the life and death of neighboring stars.

“It’s one of the closest supernovae in our lifetime, and it was detected very early,” Dan Burley, an astrophysicist at the John Moores Observatory in Liverpool, told Insider.

Here’s how you can watch this rare cosmic event for yourself with a simple telescope.

The supernova is so bright, it was first spotted by an amateur

Supernovae—giant explosions of energy that occur when a star dies—are not uncommon. In fact, the observatories that automatically scan our skies for cosmic events detect several such events each year.

But this supernova, called SN 2023ixf, distinguishes itself by its proximity to Earth: it is located in fan galaxywhich is only about 21 million light-years away.

Because of this, the explosion was bright enough to be first spotted by an amateur astrophotographer, Koichi Itagaki, on May 19.

As scientists race to gather as much information as possible from this supernova, backyard astronomers can get involved by turning their telescopes up to the sky to see it with their own eyes.

Head to a quiet place with a good telescope

The supernova is expected to blaze in the sky for at least a month, Burley said, and should be visible with a fairly standard telescope.

“The magnitude of the supernova is about 11.5 at this time. It can in principle be accessed with a 15-centimeter telescope from a good enough location, seen through the eyepiece,” Burley said.

He said: Head to a dark spot, away from the city lights, with no moon in the sky to get the best view. He said the supernova would appear as a “white point of light,” so bring a finder because it can be difficult to spot among the stars.

The supernova galaxy can be found near the Big Dipper. Look for seven stars that appear to form the shape of a pot, with three forming the handle, and four stars forming the shape of the bowl.

The Pinwheel Galaxy is located close to two stars in the Big Dipper’s handle.

“If seen from a dark site with a good telescope, it would also be superimposed on the outside of the weak, diffuse spiral galaxy that exploded within it,” Burley said.

“If you have the ability to attach a camera capable of taking a long exposure to a telescope, this also enables a much deeper and clearer image than looking through a telescope with the eye alone,” he said.

A better understanding of the star’s death

Burleigh said scientists are looking into this supernova because it occurred so close to Earth and was detected so early.

“These supernovae come from massive stars whose cores are collapsing and exploding, and we know these basics very well,” said Burley.

“What we don’t know very much is exactly what happens before the core collapses and explodes,” he said.

What Burleigh and other astronomers are trying to understand is whether the star was ejecting material before the supernova exploded, which type of projectile would be ejected during this unstable pre-explosion phase.

Because this supernova is so close, it is a favorite among amateur astrophotography, which means that astronomers were able to take amateur pictures of the galaxy that were even before the Itagaki snapshot, providing information about the first 24 hours after the explosion.

It’s also close enough for scientists to capture data beyond ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths, such as X-rays and radio, which are difficult to capture for supernovae at greater distances, Perle said.