Peculiar, junior-sized supernova discovered by New York teen
A 14-year-old student from New York has apparently become the youngest person in the world to discover a supernova, the weakest-ever found in a nearby galaxy.
Astronomers have confirmed that the supernova discovered in November last year by Caroline Moore — called SN 2008ha — is a new type of stellar explosion, 1000 times more powerful than a nova but 1000 times less powerful than a supernova.
Astronomers say that it may be the weakest supernova ever seen.
Even though this explosion was a weakling compared to most supernovae, for a short time SN 2008ha was 25 million times brighter than the sun. However, since it is 70 million light years away, it appeared very faint viewed from Earth.
