Millions of years ago, before the continents of North and South America were even connected, an older star disappeared in a supernova explosion. This event occurred approximately 21 million light years from Earth. Traces of the large-scale explosion were first discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki on the 19th (local time). The academic world has named the new supernova discovered by Koichi as SN2023ixf.
“Photographs of a star that exploded 20 million years ago reached us after a long voyage across the cosmos,” said Harvard University astronomer Grant Tremblay. He had died before,” he explained.
According to NASA, SN2023ixf is the closest supernova discovered in five years. If you expand the scope to the last decade, it’s a close second. SN2023ixf is also a rare opportunity for astronomers to study stellar death. Tremblay said the supernova is not visible to the naked eye, but can be seen with a decent hobby telescope.
Supernova events disappear quickly, so those who want to observe them should take a chance. “It brings together astronomy groups from all over the world, from Internet community astronomers to multi-billion dollar space telescopes,” he emphasized.
SN2023ixf is nestled in M101, nicknamed the Pinwheel Galaxy, near the constellation Ursa Major. M101 is seen as a bright, face-on spiral galaxy from Earth. It belongs to the Messier Object Catalogue, a systematic catalog of star clusters and nebulae. According to Sky and Telescope, you don’t need fancy equipment that is difficult for the average person to observe a supernova. A 4.5-inch telescope should be sufficient.
To observe a supernova, you can use the method of finding a nearby object. We start with the Mizar cluster at the base of Ursa Major. If you follow the five stars receding from the constellation Mizari, you will see M101. You can also find it by coordinates. Look through your telescope at 14:03:38.580 in right ascension and +54:18:42.10 in declination.
“M101 is observed every night around the world by people from hobby astronomers to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) team,” Tremblay said.
Itagaki is not a professional scientist. However, he was so passionate about astronomy that he observed supernovae and co-authored more than a dozen scientific papers. Itagaki has a history of discovering new supernovae in the past. He found SN2018zd in 2018 with very different properties to the original supernova. Tremblay compares Itagaki’s ability to find a supernova to the search for Infinity Stones, a tool used by Thanos in a Marvel movie.
Itagaki caught the supernova and reported it to the International Astronomical Union. After expert review, it was recognized as a supernova. Major telescope facilities such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory have begun observing SN2023ixf.
According to Tremblay, the telescopes will analyze the light from SN2023. We intend to measure a wide range of wavelengths from X-rays to infrared.
Based on the light data, scientists can understand the star that exploded and created SN2023ixf and better define the type of supernova. Astronomers have now classified SN2023ixf as a Type II supernova. It appears through the process of nuclear fusion in massive stars. There may come a moment when the fusion energy can no longer counteract the gravity of the stars. When that happens, the core of the star collapses and explodes outwards.
“The shock wave propagates outwards,” explains Tremblay. “It shakes the gas around it, emitting light of different wavelengths.” Studying how light changes over time can help determine the mass and composition of the star that created the supernova.
He predicts that the supernova SN2023ixf will disappear soon, but will be studied for years to come. The new supernova is also noteworthy and “a beautiful example of how people around the world share the wonder of the universe,” he said. Tremblay described it as “a star exploding in a distant galaxy that lit up people’s minds.”
