SN 2023ixf
Supernova in the Pinwheel Galaxy / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SN 2023ixf is a type II-L[7][8] (core collapse) supernova located in the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101). It was first observed on 19 May 2023 by Kōichi Itagaki and immediately classified as a type II supernova.[2] Initial magnitude at discovery was 14.9.[2] After discovery, the Zwicky Transient Facility project found a precovery image of the supernova at magnitude 15.87 two days before discovery.[9] The supernova is about 21 million light-years from Earth and is expected to have left behind either a neutron star or black hole, based on current stellar evolution models.
Type II-L supernova (single massive star) | |
Date | 19 May 2023 17:27[1] |
---|---|
Constellation | Ursa Major |
Right ascension | 14h 03m 38.6s[2] |
Declination | +54° 18′ 42.1″[2] |
Epoch | J2000 |
Distance | 21 Mly (6.4 Mpc)[2] |
Host | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) NGC 5461[3] |
Progenitor | Supergiant (M=–4.66)[4] |
Peak apparent magnitude | 10.8 (on 22 May 2023)[5][6] |
Related media on Commons | |
The supernova is located near a prominent HII region, NGC 5461, in an outer spiral arm of the bright galaxy.[3]
By 22 May 2023 SN 2023ixf had brightened to about magnitude 11.[5][6] It could be seen in telescopes as small as 114 mm (4.5 in)[3] and remained visible with backyard telescopes for several months.[10] The last supernova this close to Earth was SN 2014J in Messier 82, roughly 12 million light-years from Earth. The supernova started to fade on around 10 June 2023.[11]
Supernova | Galaxy | Distance | Type | Peak apmag |
---|---|---|---|---|
SN 2023ixf | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) | 21 Mly (6.4 Mpc) | II | 10.8 |
SN 2014J | M82 (Cigar Galaxy) | 12 Mly (3.7 Mpc) | Ia | 10.1[12] |
SN 2011fe | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) | 21 Mly (6.4 Mpc) | Ia | 9.9[13] |
Before becoming a supernova, the progenitor star is believed to have been a supergiant with an absolute magnitude in the near-infrared (814nm) of MF814W = –4.66.[4]