Brilliant, Unusual Supernova 2011fe is Actually Perfectly Normal (Video)

A brilliant supernova appeared in August 2011, the brightest and closest Type Ia supernova to ever grace the skies since the category was first established. Stargazers walked out into their backyards, using binoculars to witness the spectacle. Now, scientists have released a unique dataset based on 32 nights of repeated observations of this supernova; it reveals that far from being unusual, this supernova was perfectly normal.

Named 2011fe, the supernova was dubbed the "Backyard Supernova" when it first appeared. It was actually first detected by the Palomar Transient Factor less than 12 hours after it exploded in the Pinwheel Galaxy in the Big Dipper. This allowed scientists to continually observe the supernova as it ran through its life cycle.

The supernova is a Type Ia supernova, which are the standards used for measuring the expansion of the universe. Yet there is variation within this category. Graphs of how their brightness and spectral features change over time vary. Yet because timing and brightness are related, the light curves can be stretched (or squeezed) to match the standard. SN 2011fe's light curve, for example, SN2011fe's light curve fell right in the peak of the distribution, which meant that it had "stretch 1."

The supernova was almost dull in its normalcy. In fact, 2011fe not only looked like a textbook case, it also passed important tests. Its brightness at different times could be accurately recorded because the distances to its home galaxy had been measured independently, and there was little to no dust in the line of sight to affect color or brightness.

Despite its normal appearance, though, the supernova's light curve didn't match the leading computational models--none of which matched the international Nearby Supernova Factory (SNfactory) data. Yet given the uncertainties of supernova observation, to date it's been a little too easy to cobble data together. The SNfactory's new supernova data has raised the bar, making it more difficult for researchers to arbitrarily "tweak" the knobs in their models.

The observations of 2011fe can tell scientists a little bit more about TypeIa supernovae. In addition, it may reveal the progenitors of these massive explosions and the mechanisms behind them.

"The SN2011fe atlas offers unprecedented detail and a solid point of reference for Type IA physics," said Greg Aldering of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in a news release. "We've never had data like this. It's a dream opportunity to stimulate deeper thinking about these markers of the expansion of the universe."

The findings are published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

You can check out an animation of the supernova's light curve below, showing a wide range of wavelengths varying in brightness at different epochs as the spectrum evolves. Courtesy of YouTube.