Wild, Hidden Cousin of SN 1987A: Powerful Nearby Supernova Caught By Web Of Telescopes
Thursday, September 25, 2008 - 09:36
in Astronomy & Space
Over a decade after it exploded, one of the nearest supernovae in the last 25 years has been identified. The supernova, called SN 1996cr, was first singled out in 2001 by Franz Bauer. Bauer noticed a bright, variable source in the Circinus spiral galaxy, using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Although the source displayed some exceptional properties Bauer and his colleagues could not identify its nature confidently at the time.