NGC 4636 -- Galaxy and SN 2020ue -- Supernova in Virgo
Supernova in Galaxy NGC 4636
I have been waiting for a clear night to go after a supernova that was first spotted on January
12th. To see a single star at a distance of 52-million light-years is almost beyond imagination.
All the other 30+ billion stars that make up galaxy NGC 4636 are far below the reach of my
telescope and only make themselves known as a collective faint ball of mist at the eyepiece.
Supernovas are very rare. We have not had one in our own galaxy in hundreds of years. In
death these stars create a light show that is unmatched in the Universe often shining brighter
than the host galaxy itself.
Supernovas spew forth the heaver atoms that make up our planet and our bodies. Without
these rare stellar explosions neither our planet nor ourselves could ever exist
12th. To see a single star at a distance of 52-million light-years is almost beyond imagination.
All the other 30+ billion stars that make up galaxy NGC 4636 are far below the reach of my
telescope and only make themselves known as a collective faint ball of mist at the eyepiece.
Supernovas are very rare. We have not had one in our own galaxy in hundreds of years. In
death these stars create a light show that is unmatched in the Universe often shining brighter
than the host galaxy itself.
Supernovas spew forth the heaver atoms that make up our planet and our bodies. Without
these rare stellar explosions neither our planet nor ourselves could ever exist