Supernova in NGC 2525

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2020 October 23

Supernova in NGC 2525
Image Credit: NASA,
ESA,
A. Riess (STScI/JHU)
and the SH0ES team

Acknowledgment: M. Zamani
(ESA/Hubble)

Explanation: Big, beautiful, barred
spiral galaxy NGC 2525 lies
70 million light-years from the Milky Way. It shines in Earth’s night sky within the boundaries
of the southern constellation Puppis. About 60,000 light-years across, its spiral arms lined with
dark dust clouds, massive blue stars, and pinkish starforming regions
wind through this gorgeous Hubble Space Telescope snapshot. Spotted on the outskirts of NGC 2525 in January 2018, supernova SN 2018gv
is the brightest star in the frame at the lower left. In time-lapse,
a year long series of
Hubble
observations followed
the stellar explosion,
the nuclear detonation of a white dwarf star triggered by accreting material
from a companion star,
as it slowly faded from view. Identified as a
Type Ia supernova,
its brightness is considered a cosmic
standard candle. Type Ia supernovae are used to measure distances to galaxies and determine the
expansion rate of the Universe.

Tomorrow’s picture: light-weekend

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