The Hubble Space Telescope has documented the remnants of the supernova SN 2022abvt in the distant galaxy LEDA 132905, more than 400 million light-years from Earth.
Hubble captures distant supernova
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a supernova and its host galaxy, LEDA 132905. This distant galaxy, located in the constellation of the Sculptor, is more than 400 million light-years away. Despite its vast distance, its faint spiral structure and clusters of bright blue stars can still be seen.
In the center of the image, between the galaxy's glowing core and its dim edges on the left, a bright white dot marks the location of supernova SN 2022abvt. This stellar explosion, discovered in late 2022, was observed by Hubble about two months later.
The image was created using data from a study of Type Ia supernovae – powerful stellar explosions caused when the exposed core of a dead star undergoes a sudden burst of nuclear fusion. These supernovae are valuable to astronomers because they serve as cosmic measuring tools, helping to determine precise distances to distant galaxies.
Catching a cosmic explosion in the heat
The universe is a big place, and supernovae are fleeting phenomena. How can you be in the right place at the right time to catch a supernova as it happens? Today, most supernovae are discovered by robotic telescopes that constantly scan the night sky. However, there are still some that are discovered the old-fashioned way – by meticulous observers who take repeated pictures of the sky and look for changes.
The supernova SN 2022abvt was discovered by ATLAS – the latest Asteroid Impact Warning System. As the name suggests, ATLAS was developed to detect the faint, fast signals of near-Earth asteroids. In addition to searching for asteroids, ATLAS also tracks objects that suddenly brighten or dim, such as supernovae, variable stars and the centers of galaxies powered by hungry black holes.
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