Learn How to See This Brilliant Supernova Lighting Up the Cigar Galaxy

Stargazers may be able to see a spectacular view for the next few days--or maybe weeks. Astronomers have reported that an exploding star is lighting up the Cigar Galaxy. The supernova appears to be located within the edge-on spiral galaxy, Messier 82 (also known as the Cigar Galaxy) and is about 12 million light-years from Earth.  

The Cigar Galaxy hangs just above the bowl of the Big Dipper, which is a favorable spot for viewers looking from telescopes (and, soon enough, binoculars). Students of the University of London Observatory made the discovery of the supernova on January 21^st through a 14-inch Celestron telescope. The new star has been named (SN) 2014J.

Although supernovae of this kind occur relatively often, this one is unique because it is much closer than the others. "Spectroscopy reveals it to be a Type-1a supernova, which occurs when a dwarf star continuously draws matter in from a companion star until a tipping point is reached and a runaway nuclear reaction ignites," as described on National Geographic's website.

The host galaxy of the supernova is 12 million-light years away, which means the explosion took place 12 million years ago and we are now seeing the light emitted from it.

Since it has exploded so close to Earth, astronomers are rushing to observe it and are enjoying a rare opportunity to closely observe the Type-1a supernova's details. Through the study of light curves from similar explosions, astronomers have found that the supernova may continue to brighten for the next two weeks.

The star is currently at a supernova magnitude of 11 and if it reaches a magnitude of 8, then it would be viewable with a pair of binoculars (the lower the magnitude number, the brighter the star).

If you'd like to see how you can view the supernova, visit the article on National Geographic's website and it will provide you with the location and coordinates to be seen through a telescope.