spacetoday.net: Astronomers track down galaxy's youngest observed supernova

Posted: Sat, May 17, 2008, 5:56 AM ET (0956 GMT)
Supernova G1.9+0.3 (NASA)

Astronomers used radio and x-ray telescopes to track down the youngest supernova in our galaxy as observed from Earth, an object otherwise undetectable near the center of the galaxy. The object, designated G1.9+0.3, was first detected by the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in the mid-1980s and thought to be the remnant of a supernova whose light first reached the Earth between 400 and 1,000 years ago. Observations last year by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory indicated the supernova remnant was expanding much faster than expected, indicating it was younger than first thought. Followup observations by the VLA confirmed that the supernova remnant was much younger, with the light reaching Earth just 140 years ago. The supernova's location near the center of the galaxy made it impossible to detect it at visible wavelengths.