SN 2011fe
Supernova event on August 25, 2011 | |
| Event type | Supernova |
|---|---|
| Ia | |
| Date | 24 August 2011 |
| Constellation | Ursa Major, Big Dipper |
| Right ascension | 14h 03m 05.8s |
| Declination | +54° 16′ 25″ |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Distance | 21 Mly |
| Redshift | 0.001208 ±5e-06 |
| Host | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) |
| Peak apparent magnitude | 9.9 |
| Other designations | SN 2011fe |
| Related media on Commons | |
SN 2011fe, initially designated PTF 11kly, was a Type Ia supernova discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) survey on 24 August 2011 during an automated review of images of the Messier 101 from the nights of 22 and 23 August 2011. It was located in Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, 21 million light years from Earth. It was observed by the PTF survey very near the beginning of its supernova event, when it was approximately 1 million times too dim to be visible to the naked eye. It is the youngest Type Ia ever discovered. About 13 September 2011, it reached its maximum brightness of apparent magnitude +9.9 which equals an absolute magnitude of about -19, equal to 2.5 billion Suns. At +10 apparent magnitude around 5 September, SN 2011fe was visible in small telescopes. As of 30 September the supernova was at +11 apparent magnitude in the early evening sky after sunset above the northwest horizon. It had dropped to +13.7 as of 26 November 2011.