According to Oxford University Students, there will be an exploding start visible with a pair of binoculars in the skies above the United Kingdom. The Supernova, named PTF11kly, will be visibile within a fortnight and has been triggered by the break up of a star 21 million light years away.
(source: universetoday.com)
What has actually happened is known as a rare "type 1a" supernova. This is where a star explodes and then sucks up the energy from other closeby star/s and is then reborn. The event occurred in the Pinwheel Galaxy which is located in the Great Bear constellation. Scientists are particularly interested in these events since type 1a supernovae can be used to measure the age and size of the universe (although, exTREMEly difficult to calculate).
The last time a supernova of this type occurred so close was in 1972. Before that you have to go back and look at 1937, 1898 and 1572. As you can see, this is a once in a lifetime event! If you are lucky enough to spot it within about 10 days or so, you can tell people you saw something that was 21 million light years away. They'd probably think you've gone crazy. But hey, me and you know its true. Show them the evidence! What you could do is maybe record it if you can get your hands on a good camera that has a good zoom funtion.
Right, after the explosion, the supernova is expected to burn with the brightness of more than a billion of our Suns for the first three weeks. However, experts state that despite the immense brightness of the star it would still be difficult for the general public to view it in the night sky. Especially those who have ne experience in this field because they will probably not even know where to look since they don't know where the Pinwheel Galaxy is! If you have a telescope, though, and you know where to look.. Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity of seeing a star being born!
WisePenguin,
