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EVER wanted to watch a star explode? A supernova detected in a nearby galaxy is getting brighter by the day and may soon be visible with small telescopes in the northern hemisphere.
The explosion is taking place about 25 million light years from Earth, in a spiral galaxy called the Pinwheel, also known as M101.
Called PTF11kly, it’s a member of the particularly interesting type 1a class of supernova. These occur when a white dwarf star tears itself to bits in a nuclear explosion. The relative brightness of type 1a supernovae in nearby…
