Universe

High-Z Supernova Search

Table of Contents
The Expanding Universe
The Fate of the Universe
Supernovae [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Type Ia Supernovae
Searching for Distant Type Ia Supernovae
Search Results
Search Conclusions

Supernovae

My favourite candidate for the next supernova is Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion. It could also explode tomorrow or in 10,000 years. When it does go, it will be bright, about like the moon when it is 1/2 full, But it will be a point of light rather than a disk, and will be a spectacular sight in the sky for many months.

The Constellation Orion showing the vast bubbles of hydrogen ejected from star formation regions about 1,200 light years distant. Betelgeuese is much closer than the nebulae, being only 429 light years away.

Picture courtesy of Mike Bessell, MSSSO.