Space Facts

Supernova Primo
9 Billion Light Years Distant

Earthdate: 2012:0111

Hubble Space Telescope in orbit above the clouds. Image Credit: NASA

Another First for the
Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope has performed yet another amazing feat, photographing a supernova which occurred over 9 billion years ago—when the universe was only 4.7 billion years old (only slightly older than Earth is now).

The supernova, nicknamed "SN Primo," was originally photographed October 10, 2010. It appears lost in the clutter of distant galaxies. The picture below shows the larger picture taken by Hubble with a box marking the portion of the image compared below. Lower left shows the same box without the supernova. Lower right shows the box on October 10, 2010, when the supernova was first photographed.

Supernova Primo was determined to be a type Ia supernova, which means that it originated as a white dwarf. Such dead stars can become supernovae by accreting excessive amounts of additional matter onto their surfaces, typically from a companion star, causing them to explode. The amount of red-shift (stretching of the light's wavelengths) of the supernova gives us the distance—more than 9 billion light years away.

Hubble Space Telescope view of distant galaxies and Supernova Primo—9 billion light years away. Lower left shows the boxed detail without the supernova. Lower right shows the same view with Supernova Primo. Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Riess (STScl & JHU), and S. Rodney (JHU).

References:
"Hubble Breaks New Ground with Discovery of Distant Exploding Star," http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/exploding-star.html, retrieved 2012:0114