Scientists discover an 'instant cosmic classic' supernova
Thursday, August 25, 2011 - 16:30
in Astronomy & Space
A supernova discovered August 24 is closer to Earth -- approximately 21 million light-years away -- than any other of its kind in a generation. Astronomers believe they caught the supernova within hours of its explosion, a rare feat made possible with a specialized survey telescope and state-of-the-art computational tools.