Skip to main content

Hubble captures a spectacular time-lapse of a supernova explosion

Time-Lapse of Supernova in NGC 2525

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a time-lapse of a supernova in the spiral galaxy NGC 2525, showing the epic explosion and aftermath of a white dwarf slurping up material from a companion star and detonating in a thermonuclear blast.

Recommended Videos

The supernova is called SN2018gv and was first identified in January 2018. The next month, Hubble began observing it, watching as it dimmed over time. The data Hubble recorded was used to create the time-lapse in the video at the top of this page, showing how the brightness changed with time.

“No Earthly fireworks display can compete with this supernova, captured in its fading glory by the Hubble Space Telescope,” said lead researcher and Nobel Laureate Adam Riess of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and Johns Hopkins University in a statement.

The supernova is also shown in a Hubble image, where it shines brightly in the left part of the frame. It is located 70 million light-years away, in the constellation of Puppis in the southern hemisphere.

Pictured here is part of the captivating galaxy NGC 2525. Located nearly 70 million light-years from Earth, this galaxy is part of the constellation of Puppis in the southern hemisphere. On the left, a brilliant supernova is clearly visible in the image. The supernova is formally known as SN2018gv and was first spotted in mid-January 2018. Supernovae like this one can be used as cosmic tape measures, allowing astronomers to calculate the distance to their galaxies.
Pictured here is part of the captivating galaxy NGC 2525. Located nearly 70 million light-years from Earth, this galaxy is part of the constellation of Puppis in the southern hemisphere. On the left, a brilliant supernova is clearly visible in the image. The supernova is formally known as SN2018gv and was first spotted in mid-January 2018. Supernovae like this one can be used as cosmic tape measures, allowing astronomers to calculate the distance to their galaxies. ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Riess and the SH0ES team Acknowledgment: Mahdi Zamani

The way in which the brightness of a supernova fades over time is important as Type Ia supernovas, like this one, are used as mile markers in space. The vast majority of Type Ia supernovas give off light of a fixed brightness which fades in a predictable way, meaning astronomers can observe them and calculate how far away they are. These distance measurements can then be used to calculate the expansion of the universe, which has implications for the study of dark energy.

However, recently a Type Ia supernova was discovered which had an unusual brightness curve, increasing in brightness more slowly than others of the same type. The researchers are concerned that supernovae like this unusual one could be contaminating data used to measure the expansion of the universe. To account for this, we need to study more Type Ia supernovas and understand the variations that may be out there.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…
See incredible time lapses of two of space’s most famous objects
A Tour of Cassiopeia A & Crab Nebula Timelapses

Most objects in space, such as stars, have a lifecycle stretching over hundreds of thousands of years or more, so it's rare to see objects in the sky that look significantly different over a short period like a few years unless there's a dramatic transient event like a supernova. However, that's not to say that objects are static: Objects such as nebulae can be in flux, and, when observed closely, can be seen changing over time.

Quick Look: NASA's Chandra Releases Doubleheader of Blockbuster Hits

Read more
Celebrate Hubble’s 34th birthday with this gorgeous nebula image
In celebration of the 34th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s legendary Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers took a snapshot of the Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, or M76, located 3,400 light-years away in the northern circumpolar constellation Perseus. The name 'Little Dumbbell' comes from its shape that is a two-lobed structure of colorful, mottled, glowing gases resembling a balloon that’s been pinched around a middle waist. Like an inflating balloon, the lobes are expanding into space from a dying star seen as a white dot in the center. Blistering ultraviolet radiation from the super-hot star is causing the gases to glow. The red color is from nitrogen, and blue is from oxygen.

Tomorrow, April 24, marks the 34th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. For more than three decades, this venerable old telescope has been peering out into space, observing stars, galaxies, and nebulae to understand more about the universe we live in. To celebrate this birthday, Hubble scientists have shared a new image showing the striking Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, which is located 3,400 light-years away.

In celebration of the 34th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s legendary Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers took a snapshot of the Little Dumbbell Nebula, also known as Messier 76, or M76, located 3,400 light-years away in the northern circumpolar constellation Perseus. NASA, ESA, STScI

Read more
Hubble discovers over 1,000 new asteroids thanks to photobombing
This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image of the barred spiral galaxy UGC 12158 looks like someone took a white marking pen to it. In reality it is a combination of time exposures of a foreground asteroid moving through Hubble’s field of view, photobombing the observation of the galaxy. Several exposures of the galaxy were taken, which is evidenced by the dashed pattern.

The Hubble Space Telescope is most famous for taking images of far-off galaxies, but it is also useful for studying objects right here in our own solar system. Recently, researchers have gotten creative and found a way to use Hubble data to detect previously unknown asteroids that are mostly located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The researchers discovered an incredible 1,031 new asteroids, many of them small and difficult to detect with several hundred of them less than a kilometer in size. To identify the asteroids, the researchers combed through a total of 37,000 Hubble images taken over a 19-year time period, identifying the tell-tale trail of asteroids zipping past Hubble's camera.

Read more