NASA Hubble Telescope Captures Stellar Explosions in Spectacular New Image

Supernovae are intensely bright objects, stellar explosions that light up the universe. Now, the NASA Hubble telescope has captured one of these stellar explosions in the spiral galaxy NGC 6984. The stunning image reveals this beautiful system amidst the background of space.

Supernovae form when a star reaches the end of its life with a dramatic explosion, expelling most of its material out into space. NGC 6984 played host to one of these explosions back in 2012, known as SN 2012im. Now, though, another star has exploded, forming supernova SN2013ek. This particular explosion is visible in the new image as the prominent, star-like bright object just slightly above and to the right of the galaxy's center.

The latest efforts to observe this galaxy and the supernovae were in part aimed at pinpointing the location of this explosion more precisely. Astronomers actually found that the supernova is so close to where SN 2012im was spotted that the two events are likely linked.

SN 2012im is known as a Type Ic supernova. The more recent SN 2013ek, in contrast, is known as a Type Ib. Both of these types are caused by the core collapse of massive stars that have shed their outer layers of hydrogen. That said, Type Ic supernovae are thought to have lost more of their outer envelope than Type Ib, including a layer of helium.

Actually observing two completely independent supernovae so close together and of the same class exploding one year after one another is an extremely unlikely event. Astronomers initially suggested that SN 2013ek may in fact be SN 2012im flaring up again. After observing the supernova a bit more closely, though, scientists were able to determine that they were, in fact, separate supernovae. That said, it's very possible that the two are related in some as-yet-unknown way.

Currently, astronomers are looking a bit more closely at this galaxy and its supernovae. For now, though, it's enough just to see the spectacular image that Hubble has captured.