In a distant galaxy, millions of light-years away from us, a star has exploded – and we were able to watch it! This powerful stellar explosion is called Supernova 2025rbs and was discovered in the galaxy NGC 7331 in the constellation Pegasus. A supernova is the spectacular end of a star. When a very massive star has used up its fuel, it collapses and ejects its outer layers into space with enormous force. In doing so, it shines brighter than billions of other stars combined for a short time – so bright that astronomers can even see such events in distant galaxies.
Supernovae play an important role in the universe: their explosions create many chemical elements – building blocks from which new stars, planets, and even life are formed. We humans are also made of stardust!
What makes Supernova 2025rbs special?
- It is located in the galaxy NGC 7331, about 45 million light-years away.
- It is a Type Ia supernova – an explosion of a white dwarf in a binary star system.
- This type of supernova is particularly important to astronomers because its brightness is very well known. This allows distances in space to be measured accurately.
- At its peak, 2025rbs shone brightly enough to be visible with a medium-sized telescope.
Image and text: Patrick Staden
excellent photo, clear & simple,easy to understand words. Very good for science popularization.