A Bright Supernova in the Nearby Galaxy NGC 2403
The explosion of a massive star blazes with the light of 200 million Suns in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image. The arrow at top right points to the stellar blast, called a supernova. The supernova is so bright in this image that it easily could be mistaken for a foreground star in our Milky Way Galaxy. And yet, this supernova, called SN 2004dj, resides far beyond our galaxy. Its home is in the outskirts of NGC 2403, a galaxy located 11 million light-years from Earth. Although the supernova is far from Earth, it is the closest stellar explosion discovered in more than a decade.
Credit:
About the Image
NASA press release
NASA caption
NASA caption
| Id: | opo0423a |
| Type: | Observation |
| Release date: | 2 September 2004, 15:00 |
| Size: | 3880 x 3952 px |
About the Object
| Name: | NGC 2403, SN 2004dj |
| Type: | • Local Universe : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Supernova • Local Universe : Galaxy : Type : Spiral • Stars Images/Videos |
| Distance: | 12 million light years |
Colours & filters
| Band | Wavelength | Telescope |
| Optical B |
475 nm | Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
| Optical V |
606 nm | Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
| Optical H-alpha |
658 nm | Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
| Infrared I |
814 nm | Hubble Space Telescope ACS |
