A supernova is a massive stellar explosion where the material of a star is ripped from it and converted into energy that is thrown in all directions at the speed of light. The burst lasts a short time, but can produce tremendous amount of energy, sometimes rivaling the luminosity at the core of the galaxy the exploding star is in. Supernovae producing heavy elements in galaxies through runaway nuclear fusion.
Yesterday, some astronomers noticed a sudden eruption of X-rays from a spot in the constellation Lynx in real time, in a galaxy 90 million light years away. This means that this supernova occurred about 90 million years ago. The wonderful thing is that this is the first time astronomers have been able to observe and record the act of explosion. Other supernovae were found due to their brightness while randomly scanning the heavens. In this case, the whole process could be observed, which is very exciting. This star has been named SN 2008D.
The observations seem to confirm the theory that the first burst would be a blast of X-rays. This burst continues for days or even weeks, and a great many people -- astronomers or not -- are looking at the blast. There is a news story here.
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