A star is exploding 45 million light-years away — here's how you can see it
The newly discovered Type Ia supernova SN 2026aaiv in NGC 7331 offers amateur astronomers and astrophotographers a rare opportunity to observe and image an exploding star before it fades.
A supernova, designated SN 2026aaiv, has been discovered in a distant galaxy, NGC 7331, located 45 million light-years away. This star explosion was first detected by the ATLAS survey on September 1. Amateur astronomers worldwide are eager to capture images of this rare celestial event before it becomes too faint to observe.
The supernova, classified as a Type Ia supernova, occurs when a white dwarf in a binary star system accumulates too much material from its companion, leading to a catastrophic thermonuclear explosion that destroys the white dwarf. Another Type Ia supernova, SN 2025rbs, was also found in the same galaxy on July 14, 2025.
To find SN 2026aaiv, one must first locate NGC 7331, a spiral galaxy in the Pegasus constellation. This can be done by looking for the Great Square of Pegasus in the eastern sky after dark, specifically near the star Scheat. The galaxy, visible as a dimmer star just outside the square, is approximately 45 million light-years away.
Using a large telescope or a smart telescope like Seestar S50, observers have reported seeing the supernova with about two hours of 10-second exposures. The Averted Vision technique, which involves looking slightly to the side of the galaxy's core, can help reveal faint details that might otherwise be missed.
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