Last month, scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California discovered what they think could be the

youngest and closest supernova in decades. The supernova has been named PTF 11kly. And even though it exploded in the Big Dipper, 21 million light-years away in the Pinwheel Galaxy, you might be able to see it in your own backyard.
Take the last two stars in the handle of the big dipper, form an equilateral triangle heading north and you'll nd the Pinwheel Galaxy.

Explosion in the sky

Messier 101

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How to nd PTF 11kly

Dubhe

Location from the Big Dipper

Megrez Merak

Mizar

Alioth

Big Dipper
Alkaid
Pinwheel galaxy (Messier 101)
About 21 million light years from Earth Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1781

Phad

PTF 11kly
Detected on Aug. 24, it is expected to outshine everything in the Pinwheel Galaxy between Sept. 9 and 12 Closest and brightest supernova detected in the last 30 years

URSA MAJOR
What You'll need to see it

What is a star?
Neutron Star
Mass: 1.5 times the sun Diameter: 12 miles The surface temperature of a star can range from 3,000C to over 50,000C Stars which are smaller than our Sun are reddish. Stars that are larger than the sun are blue.

In the dark countryside binoculars with a magnication of at least 20 and a diameter of at least 80. (20x80 or 25x100 will work) Near or in the city, use a telescope with a six-to-eight inch in diameter refractor mirror. Peak brightness will be Sept. 9, but will remain visible for a couple of weeks.

A star is a huge sphere of very hot, glowing gas mostly hydrogen and helium. Stars shine by burning hydrogen into helium in their cores.

Solid crust
1 mile thick

Most stars have small amounts of heavier elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and iron, which were created by stars that existed before them. After a star runs out of fuel, it ejects much of its material back into space. New stars are formed from this material.

PTF 11kly is a Type Ia supernova

Type Ia supernovae are generally thought to originate from white dwarf stars in a close binary system. As the gas of the companion star accumulates onto the white dwarf, the white dwarf is progressively compressed, and eventually sets o a runaway nuclear reaction inside that eventually leads to a cataclysmic supernova outburst.

Heavy liquid interior

Mostly neutrons, with other particles

A supernova is simply a fancy name for the explosion that marks the end of a star. A star can go supernova in one of two ways: Type I supernova: Star accumulates matter from a nearby neighbour until a runaway nuclear reaction ignites. Type II supernova: Star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity.

What is a supernova?

Sources: space.com; NASA; Wikipedia; PBS; Universe Today

SUSAN BATSFORD, GRAPHICS EDITOR, TWITTER @SBATS1; INFOGRAPHIC BY TARA CORRAN/QMI AGENCY