List of supernovae
Encyclopedia
This is a list of supernovae that are of historical significance. These include supernovae that were observed prior to the availability of photography, and individual events that have been the subject of a scientific paper that contributed to supernova
theory.
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
theory.
List
| Supernova designation (year) |
Constellation | Apparent magnitude Apparent magnitude The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere... |
Distance(light years) | Type | Galaxy | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SN 185 SN 185 SN 185 was a supernova which appeared in the year 185 AD, near the direction of Alpha Centauri, between the constellations Circinus and Centaurus, centered at RA Dec , in Circinus. This "guest star" was observed by Chinese astronomers in the Book of Later Han, and may have been recorded in Roman... |
Centaurus Centaurus Centaurus is a bright constellation in the southern sky. One of the largest constellations, Centaurus was included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations.-Stars:... (Cen) |
−4 (?) | 8,200 | Ia (?) | Milky Way Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky... |
Surviving description sketchy; modern estimates of maximum apparent magnitude vary from +4 to −8. The remnant is probably RCW RCW Catalogue The RCW Catalogue is an Astronomical catalogue of Hα-emission regions in the southern Milky Way, described in . It has 180 objects and includes many of the earlier Gum Catalog objects, and the later Caldwell catalogue included some RCW... 86, some 8200 ly distant, making it comparable to SN 1572 SN 1572 SN 1572 , "B Cassiopeiae" , or 3C 10 was a supernova of Type Ia in the constellation Cassiopeia, one of about eight supernovae visible to the naked eye in historical records... . Some researchers have suggested it was a comet, not a supernova. |
| SN 386 | Sagittarius Sagittarius (constellation) Sagittarius is a constellation of the zodiac, the one containing the galactic center. Its name is Latin for the archer, and its symbol is , a stylized arrow. Sagittarius is commonly represented as a centaur drawing a bow... (Sgr) |
+1.5 | Milky Way | Might have been a nova Nova A nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner... and not a supernova |
||
| SN 393 | Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius, sometimes known as Scorpio, is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for scorpion, and its symbol is . It lies between Libra to the west and Sagittarius to the east... (Sco) |
–0 | 34,000 | Milky Way | ||
| SN 1006 SN 1006 SN 1006 was a supernova, widely seen on Earth beginning in the year 1006 AD; Earth was about 7,200 light-years away from the supernova. It was the brightest apparent magnitude stellar event in recorded history reaching an estimated -7.5 visual magnitude... |
Lupus Lupus (constellation) Lupus is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for wolf. Lupus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations... (Lup) |
–7.5 | 7,200 | I | Milky Way | Widely observed on Earth; in apparent magnitude, the brightest stellar event in recorded history. |
| SN 1054 SN 1054 SN 1054 is a supernova that was first observed as a new "star" in the sky on July 4, 1054 AD, hence its name, and that lasted for a period of around two years. The event was recorded in multiple Chinese and Japanese documents and in one document from the Arab world... |
Taurus Taurus (constellation) Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is a Latin word meaning 'bull', and its astrological symbol is a stylized bull's head:... (Tau) |
–6 | 6,500 | II | Milky Way | Remnant is the Crab Nebula Crab Nebula The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus... with its pulsar (neutron star) |
| SN 1181 SN 1181 First observed between August 4 and August 6, 1181, Chinese and Japanese astronomers recorded the supernova now known as SN 1181 in eight separate texts.... |
Cassiopeia Cassiopeia (constellation) Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today... (Cas) |
0 | 8,500 | Milky Way | ||
| SN 1572 SN 1572 SN 1572 , "B Cassiopeiae" , or 3C 10 was a supernova of Type Ia in the constellation Cassiopeia, one of about eight supernovae visible to the naked eye in historical records... |
Cassiopeia Cassiopeia (constellation) Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today... (Cas) |
–4.0 | 8,000 | Ia | Milky Way | Tycho Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations... 's Nova |
| SN 1604 SN 1604 Supernova 1604, also known as Kepler's Supernova, Kepler's Nova or Kepler's Star, was a supernova that occurred in the Milky Way, in the constellation Ophiuchus. , it is the last supernova to have been unquestionably observed in our own galaxy, occurring no farther than 6 kiloparsecs or about... |
Ophiuchus Ophiuchus Ophiuchus is a large constellation located around the celestial equator. Its name is from the Greek "serpent-bearer", and it is commonly represented as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens. Ophiuchus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century... (Oph) |
–3 | 14,000 | I | Milky Way | Kepler Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican... 's Star; most recent readily visible supernova within the Milky Way |
| Cas A Cassiopeia A Cassiopeia A is a supernova remnant in the constellation Cassiopeia and the brightest astronomical radio source in the sky, with a flux density of 2720 Jy at 1 GHz. The supernova occurred approximately away in the Milky Way. The expanding cloud of material left over from the supernova is now... , ca. 1680 |
Cassiopeia Cassiopeia (constellation) Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today... (Cas) |
+5 | 9,000 | IIb | Milky Way | Apparently never visually conspicuous, due to interstellar dust; but the remnant, Cas A Cassiopeia A Cassiopeia A is a supernova remnant in the constellation Cassiopeia and the brightest astronomical radio source in the sky, with a flux density of 2720 Jy at 1 GHz. The supernova occurred approximately away in the Milky Way. The expanding cloud of material left over from the supernova is now... , is the brightest extrasolar radio source in the sky |
| SNR G1.9+0.3 Supernova remnant G1.9+0.3 Supernova remnant G1.9+0.3 is the youngest known supernova remnant in the Milky Way Galaxy. The remnant's young age was established by combining data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the VLA radio observatory, and is believed to have exploded about 25,000 years ago, and the signal began... , ca. 1868 |
Sagittarius | 25,000 | Milky Way | "Posthumously" discovered in 1985; age determined in 2008 | ||
| SN 1885A S Andromedae |- style="background-color: #A0B0FF;" colspan="3"| Database References|- bgcolor="#FFFAFA"| Simbad || |- bgcolor="#FFFAFA"| ||... |
Andromeda Andromeda (constellation) Andromeda is a constellation in the northern sky. It is named after Andromeda, the princess in the Greek legend of Perseus who was chained to a rock to be eaten by the sea monster Cetus... (And) |
+7 | 2,400,000 | Ipec | Andromeda Galaxy Andromeda Galaxy The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the... |
First observation of an extragalactic supernova |
| SN 1940B | Coma Berenices Coma Berenices Coma Berenices is a traditional asterism that has since been defined as one of the 88 modern constellations. It is located near Leo, to which it formerly belonged, and accommodates the North Galactic Pole... (Com) |
+12.8 | 38,000,000 | II-P | NGC 4725 NGC 4725 NGC 4725 is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy about 40 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices.-External links:* * * *... |
first observation of a Type II supernova Type II supernova A Type II supernova results from the rapid collapse and violent explosion of a massive star. A star must have at least 9 times, and no more than 40–50 times the mass of the Sun for this type of explosion. It is distinguished from other types of supernova by the presence of hydrogen in its spectrum... |
| SN 1961V SN 1961V SN 1961V was an abnormal, supernova-like event that was a potential supernova impostor. The potential impostor nature of SN 1961V was first identified by Fritz Zwicky in 1964. SN 1961V occurred in galaxy NGC 1058, about 9.3 Mpc away... |
Perseus Perseus (constellation) Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union... (Per) |
+12.5 | 30,000,000 | II? | NGC 1058 NGC 1058 NGC 1058 is a Seyfert Type 2 galaxy in the Perseus constellation. It is approximately 27.4 million light years from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 11.82. It is receding from Earth at , and at relative to our Galaxy.... |
potential supernova impostor |
| SN 1972E | Centaurus (Cen) | +8.7 | 10,900,000 | Ia | NGC 5253 NGC 5253 NGC 5253 is an irregular galaxy in the constellation Centaurus. It was discovered by John Frederick William Herschel on 15 March 1787.-Galaxy group information:... |
followed for more than a year; became the prototype Type Ia supernova Type Ia supernova A Type Ia supernova is a sub-category of supernovae, which in turn are a sub-category of cataclysmic variable stars, that results from the violent explosion of a white dwarf star. A white dwarf is the remnant of a star that has completed its normal life cycle and has ceased nuclear fusion... |
| SN 1983N | Hydra Hydra (constellation) Hydra is the largest of the 88 modern constellations, measuring 1303 square degrees. It has a long history, having been included among the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy. It is commonly represented as a water snake... (Hya) |
+11.8 | 15,000,000 | Ib | Messier 83 | first observation of a Type Ib supernova |
| SN 1986J | Andromeda Andromeda (constellation) Andromeda is a constellation in the northern sky. It is named after Andromeda, the princess in the Greek legend of Perseus who was chained to a rock to be eaten by the sea monster Cetus... (And) |
+18.4 | 30,000,000 | IIn | NGC 891 NGC 891 NGC 891 is an edge-on unbarred spiral galaxy about 30 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. It was discovered by William Herschel on October 6 1784. The galaxy is a member of the NGC 1023 group of galaxies in the Local Supercluster... |
bright in the radio frequency range |
| SN 1987A SN 1987A SN 1987A was a supernova in the outskirts of the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a nearby dwarf galaxy. It occurred approximately 51.4 kiloparsecs from Earth, approximately 168,000 light-years, close enough that it was visible to the naked eye. It could be seen from the Southern... |
Dorado Dorado Dorado is a constellation in the southern sky. It was created in the late 16th century and is now one of the 88 modern constellations. Its name refers to the dolphinfish , which is known as dorado in Spanish, although it has also been depicted as a swordfish... (Dor) |
+2.9 | 160,000 | IIpec | Large Magellanic Cloud Large Magellanic Cloud The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby irregular galaxy, and is a satellite of the Milky Way. At a distance of slightly less than 50 kiloparsecs , the LMC is the third closest galaxy to the Milky Way, with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal and Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy lying closer to the center... |
intense radiation reached the earth on February 23, 1987, 7:35:35 UT Universal Time Universal Time is a time scale based on the rotation of the Earth. It is a modern continuation of Greenwich Mean Time , i.e., the mean solar time on the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, and GMT is sometimes used loosely as a synonym for UTC... . This supernova was especially interesting for two reasons: The star could be found on old pictures and neutrinos from the supernova were detected. |
| SN 1993J SN 1993J SN 1993J is a supernova observed in the galaxy M81. It was discovered on 28 March 1993 by F. Garcia in Spain. At the time, it was the second brightest supernova observed in the twentieth century behind SN 1987A.... |
Ursa Major Ursa Major Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April... (UMa) |
+10.8 | 11,000,000 | IIb | M81 Messier 81 Messier 81 is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Due to its proximity to Earth, large size and active galactic nucleus Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031 or Bode's Galaxy) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa... |
brightest supernova on the northern hemisphere since 1954 |
| SN 2002bj SN 2002bj SN 2002bj was the explosion of a star in the galaxy NGC 1821, located in the constellationLepus. The explosion was discovered by Jack Newton in scans of images produced by Tim Puckett... |
Lupus Lupus (constellation) Lupus is a constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for wolf. Lupus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations... |
+14.7 | 160,000,000 | .Ia | NGC 1821 | AM Canum Venaticorum AM Canum Venaticorum AM Canum Venaticorum is a cataclysmic variable star in the constellation of Canes Venatici. It is the type star of its class of variables, the AM CVn stars.... -type outburst. |
| SN 2003fg | Boötes Boötes Boötes is a constellation in the northern sky, located between 0° and +60° declination, and 13 and 16 hours of right ascension on the celestial sphere. The name comes from the Greek Βοώτης, Boōtēs, meaning herdsman or plowman... (Boö) |
4,000,000,000 | Ia | anonymous galaxy | also known as the "Champagne supernova" | |
| SN 2005ap SN 2005ap SN 2005ap was an extremely energetic type II supernova. It is reported to be the brightest supernova yet recorded, twice as bright as the previous record holder, SN 2006gy... |
Coma Berenices Coma Berenices Coma Berenices is a traditional asterism that has since been defined as one of the 88 modern constellations. It is located near Leo, to which it formerly belonged, and accommodates the North Galactic Pole... |
4,700,000,000 | II | ? | announced in 2007 to be the brightest supernova up to that point. | |
| SN 2005gj SN 2005gj SN 2005gj was a supernova located approximately 864 million light years away from Earth. It was discovered on September 29, 2005, by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Nearby Supernova Factory... |
865,000,000 | Ia/II-n | ? | notable for having characteristics of both Type Ia and Type IIn. | ||
| SN 2005gl SN 2005gl SN 2005gl was a supernova in the barred-spiral galaxy NGC 266. It was discovered using CCD frames taken October 5, 2005, from the 60 cm automated telescope at the Puckett Observatory in Georgia, and reported by Tim Puckett in collaboration with Peter Ceravolo... |
Pisces Pisces (constellation) Pisces is a constellation of the zodiac. Its name is the Latin plural for fish, and its symbol is . It lies between Aquarius to the west and Aries to the east... (Psc) |
+16.5 | 200,000,000 | II-n | NGC 266 | star could be found on old pictures. |
| SN 2006gy SN 2006gy SN 2006gy was an extremely energetic supernova, sometimes referred to as a hypernova or quark-nova, that was discovered on September 18, 2006. It was first observed by Robert Quimby and P. Mondol, and then studied by several teams of astronomers using facilities that included the Chandra, Lick, and... |
Perseus Perseus (constellation) Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union... (Per) |
+15 | 240,000,000 | IIn (*) | NGC 1260 NGC 1260 NGC 1260 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Perseus. In 2006, it was home to the second brightest object in the observable universe, supernova SN 2006gy.-External links:*... |
observed by NASA, *with a peak over 70 days possibly a new type, caused by a massive star. |
| SN 2007bi SN 2007bi SN 2007bi was an extremely energetic supernova discovered early in 2007 by the international Nearby Supernova Factory based at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The precursor star is estimated to have had 200 solar masses at the time of its formation and around... |
Virgo Virgo (constellation) Virgo is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is Latin for virgin, and its symbol is . Lying between Leo to the west and Libra to the east, it is the second largest constellation in the sky... (Vir) |
+18.3 | Ic? | anonymous dwarf galaxy | extremely bright and long-lasting, the first good observational match for the pair-instability supernova Pair-instability supernova A pair-instability supernova occurs when pair production, the production of free electrons and positrons in the collision between atomic nuclei and energetic gamma rays, reduces thermal pressure inside a supermassive star's core... model postulated for stars of initial mass greater than 140 solar masses (even better than SN 2006gy). The precursor is estimated at 200 solar masses, similar to the first stars of the early universe. |
|
| SN 2008D SN 2008D SN 2008D is a supernova detected with NASA's Swift X-ray telescope. The explosion of the supernova precursor star, in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770 SN 2008D is a supernova detected with NASA's Swift X-ray telescope. The explosion of the supernova precursor star, in the spiral galaxy NGC 2770 SN 2008D... |
Lynx Lynx (constellation) Lynx is a constellation in the northern sky, introduced in the 17th century by Johannes Hevelius. It is named after the lynx, a genus of cat. It is a very faint constellation; its brightest stars form a zigzag line.-History:... |
88,000,000 | Ibc | NGC 2770 NGC 2770 NGC 2770 is a type SASc spiral galaxy located about 88 million light years away, in the constellation Lynx.It has been referred to as the 'Supernova Factory' as three supernovas have occurred there recently: SN 1999eh, SN 2007uy, and SN 2008D... |
first supernova to be observed while it exploded. | |
| SN 2011dh SN 2011dh SN 2011dh is a supernova in the Whirlpool Galaxy . On 31 May 2011 an apparent magnitude 13.5 type II supernova was detected in M51 at coordinates 13:30:05.08 +47:10:11.2. It was discovered by Amédée Riou and confirmed by several sources, including the Palomar Transient Factory... |
Ursa Major Ursa Major Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April... |
+12.5 | 23,000,000 | IIp | M51 | Visible in a medium-sized telescope (8in), and occurring in a nearby galaxy. |
| SN 2011fe SN 2011fe SN 2011fe, initially designated PTF 11kly, is a star which perished in a Type Ia supernova event that is currently visible from Earth. The star was discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory survey on 24 August 2011 during an automated review of images of the Messier 101 from the nights of 22... |
Ursa Major Ursa Major Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April... |
+10.0 | 21,000,000 | Ia | M101 | One of the very few extragalactic supernovae visible in 50mm binoculars. |
See also
- History of supernova observationHistory of supernova observationThe known history of supernova observation goes back to 185 CE, when supernova SN 185 appeared, the oldest appearance of a supernova recorded by humankind...
- List of supernova remnants
- List of supernova candidates
External links
- List of all supernovae at IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical TelegramsCentral Bureau for Astronomical TelegramsThe Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams is the official international clearing house for information relating to transient astronomical events....
(CBAT). - List of recent supernovae at IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical TelegramsCentral Bureau for Astronomical TelegramsThe Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams is the official international clearing house for information relating to transient astronomical events....
(CBAT).