The closest cosmic explosion to Earth in the past 10 years has become a record for the Institute for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SET).
The supernova, designated (SN) 2023ixf, was first observed on May 19, 2023, by Japanese amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki. Just an hour after this apparition, amateur astronomers took part in SETI and Unistellar’s Cosmic Cataclysms program.
A record number of observers, including citizen scientists in the form of amateur astronomers, gathered to gather data from a supernova that occurred in the Pinwheel galaxy, a spiral galaxy located about 21 million light-years from Earth.
Using the data, scientists can understand the behavior of this class of supernovae known as type II, cosmic explosions that occur when massive stars run out of fuel for nuclear fusion and can no longer protect themselves from gravitational collapse.
Related: What is a supernova?
Lauren Sgro, researcher at the SETI Institute: “It’s really incredible what this citizen science network can do.” he said in a statement. “This was the closest supernova in the past decade, and the observers took full advantage of the special occasion. They hopped on the target as quickly as possible and kept observing, allowing us to see the full potential of this program.”
The effort involved 123 dedicated amateur astronomers making 252 observations using 115 telescopes to follow how the light from the supernova changed over time, first seeing its rising brightness and then tracking its gradual fading. This allowed the SETI scientists to build a profile of the supernova that astronomers have called a light curve, a measure of its luminosity over time.
And the story isn’t over for (SN)2023ixf. The supernova is expected to remain visible until at least August 2023, and while that has been the case, amateur astronomers with the Cosmic Cataclysms program will continue to monitor its progress.
Take advantage of the power of amateur astronomy
The Cosmic Cataclysms Science Program is a joint project of the SETI Institute and Unistellar funded by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The program enables citizen astronomers to study and collect data from cataclysmic events, rapidly changing events, or “transient” events such as supernovae and gamma-ray bursts.
Participants receive real-time alerts when transient events are detected, prompting the rapid initiation of monitoring campaigns such as those seen in (SN)2023ixf. As they monitor the increase in brightness and subsequent fading of cataclysmic events, volunteers help scientists gather vital details about the objects that underlie these powerful, violent celestial events and their impact on the surrounding gas and dust, known as interstellar material.
The program will get a big boost next year when the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile begins operations, allowing Unistellar’s network of citizen astronomers to collaborate with other crews of astronomers and professional astronomers to study transit events.
The team’s research is published in the journal Research notes from AAS.
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