December 23, 2024

Gone but Not Forgotten: A Supernova 2.5 Billion Times Brighter Than the Sun

By ESA/Hubble January 15, 2024UGC 5189A, a relatively small galaxy located about 150 million light-years from Earth is included in the Hubble Space Telescope image. Credit: ESA/Hubble & & NASA, A. FilippenkoHubbles observations of the galaxy UGC 5189A and the extremely brilliant supernova SN 2010jl supply vital insights into the nature and aftermath of supernovae.This image from the Hubble Space Telescope features a reasonably little galaxy understood as UGC 5189A, which is situated about 150 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. This galaxy was observed by Hubble to study a supernova surge in 2010 called SN 2010jl. This specific supernova was notable for having actually been an extremely luminous supernova occasion. In reality, over a period of three years, SN 2010jl released a minimum of 2.5 billion times more visible energy alone than our Sun gave off over the exact same timeframe throughout all wavelengths.Even after supernovae have faded to non-observable levels, it can still be of interest to study the environments where they occurred. This can offer astronomers with valuable information: supernovae can take location for a variety of reasons, and comprehending the environments in which they occurred can help improve our understanding of the conditions necessary for them to be set off. In addition, follow-up studies after supernovae can improve our understanding of the immediate consequences of such events, from their potent effects on the gas and dust around them, to the stellar remnants they leave behind.To this end, UGC 5189A has been observed numerous times by Hubble given that 2010. This image is from data collected in three of the most recent Hubble studies of UGC 5189A, which likewise took a look at several other relatively close-by galaxies that just recently hosted supernovae– reasonably neighboring, in this context, suggesting roughly 100 million light years away.