Optical CCD image of spiral galaxy M99 (NGC 4254), showing a new supernova, discovered in 1986, circled in yellow. The incredible brightness of a supe

---

Optical CCD image of spiral galaxy M99 (NGC 4254), showing a new supernova, discovered in 1986, circled in yellow. The incredible brightness of a supernova (the explosion of a giant star) is dem- onstrated by the fact that the supernova is almost as bright as the two stars at upper & lower left of M99; these stars are foreground stars within our own galaxy, whereas M99 is a member of the Virgo cluster of galaxies some 50 million light years away. The picture was made with a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera mounted on a telescope at the Whipple Observatory, Arizona. A CCD is a type of light-sensitive silicon chip.

---

Size: 4235px × 3016px
Photo credit: © DR RUDOLPH SCHILD, SMITHSONIAN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 4254, astronomy, ccd, cosmology, death, galaxy, imagery, m99, ngc, optical, science, spiral, star, stellar, supernova