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Supernova 2011b Gradually Fading

Posted by timothy on from the worth-it-for-the-pictures-and-reflections dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The recent stellar explosion known as 'supernova 2011b' is gradually fading after outshining its host galaxy for over a month. The explosion first flared up in early January, and peaked at magnitude 12.9, putting it within the reach of many amateur telescopes. The host galaxy, NGC 2655, lies 64 million light years away, meaning that the star exploded while the dinosaurs still roamed the planet. My own sketches are available at gkastro.tk/."

1 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Supernova Rates by mrsquid0 · · Score: 1, Redundant

    New supernovae are detected at a rate of about one a day, and that rate will increase as new survey telescopes go online over the next few years. Overall a supernova goes off about once a second somewhere in the Universe.

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    Just because you are paranoid does not mean that no-one is out to get you.