High-magnification deep optical view into PSN J08384182-6420485's host environment. Pan and scroll to explore the cosmic neighborhood where this star exploded.
⚡ Quick Observer Facts & Telemetry
IAU Transients DBThe Iron Core Collapse of a Dying Supergiant
On 2013/03/15, astronomers scanning the heavens flagged a sudden, violent pinpoint of light that had flared into visibility. Designated PSN J08384182-6420485, it represents a catastrophic stellar explosion classified as a Type II P supernova.
The progenitor of PSN J08384182-6420485 was a mammoth supergiant star, shining with the furious vigor of an object at least 8 to 25 times more massive than our Sun. For millions of years, it synthesized heavier and heavier elements in concentric onion-like shells: hydrogen burning into helium, helium into carbon, carbon into oxygen, neon, and silicon. But when silicon fused into iron, the stellar engine ran out of fuel. Iron fusion absorbs energy rather than liberating it; within fractions of a second, the iron core collapsed under its own gravity, rebounding into an immense cosmic shockwave that blasted the star into pieces.
A Message Across Deep Cosmic Time
The light from PSN J08384182-6420485 is a dispatch from an ancient past. Located approximately 88.1 Million Light-Years away
(redshift z = 0.006), the photons detected by telescopes today began their journey
88.1 million years ago during the Cretaceous period when Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops walked the planet.
While this burst of electromagnetic radiation traversed the cold void of intergalactic space at 299,792 kilometers per second, continents on Earth drifted, mountain ranges rose, and entire ecosystems rose and fell. To look into a telescope at PSN J08384182-6420485 is to gaze directly into prehistoric cosmic time.
Incandescence of 214.8 million Suns
At the height of the outburst around 2013/03/14, PSN J08384182-6420485 surged to a peak apparent magnitude of 15.9 and an intrinsic absolute magnitude of -16. At that instant, this single dying star radiated with the collective power of approximately 214.8 million Suns combined, outshining whole dwarf galaxies and illuminating the surrounding interstellar medium.
The total energy released by the cataclysm was on the order of 10⁵¹ to 10⁵³ ergs. Over 99% of this energy was emitted within the first 10 seconds as a dense burst of trillions of neutrinos, with only 1% driving the visible blast wave.
The Radioactive Furnace: Why Supernovae Glow for Months
Unlike a conventional terrestrial explosion that cools and goes dark in seconds, PSN J08384182-6420485 shone brightly for weeks and months. The secret behind this prolonged celestial glow is nuclear physics: the extreme heat and pressure of detonation synthesized vast quantities of radioactive Nickel-56 (⁵⁶Ni).
With a half-life of 6.075 days, Nickel-56 decays into Cobalt-56 (⁵⁶Co), emitting gamma rays and high-energy positrons that heat the expanding ejecta from within. Cobalt-56 in turn decays with a half-life of 77.2 days into stable Iron-56 (⁵⁶Fe), powering the steady exponential radioactive tail observed in the light curve.
Cosmic Kiln: Seeding the Elements of Life
Supernovae are the premier chemical foundries of our universe. PSN J08384182-6420485 forged and liberated tons of newly synthesized elements: vast reservoirs of oxygen (the most abundant heavy element in living organisms), carbon, nitrogen, magnesium, and silicon.
As Carl Sagan famously observed, "We are made of star-stuff." The iron atoms that carry oxygen in human hemoglobin and the calcium in our bones were originally forged in explosions identical to PSN J08384182-6420485 billions of years ago.
Galactic Setting in Carina
PSN J08384182-6420485 detonated inside ESO 90-G4.
In our terrestrial sky, it resides in the constellation Carina (The Keel) at Right Ascension 08:38:41.82
and Declination -64:20:48.5.
The Scientific Surveillance Campaign
Following its discovery by CRTS, observatories worldwide swung their lenses toward PSN J08384182-6420485. In the Open Supernova Catalog, PSN J08384182-6420485 is documented across 0 photometric measurements and 0 spectroscopic epochs. These multi-wavelength observations allow astrophysicists to model the expanding photosphere, measure shock velocities, and probe circumstellar interactions.
Stargazer's Field Guide: Can You See It Tonight?
Can I see it tonight? No — this supernova is physically extinguished.
Supernovae are brief, explosive cosmic catastrophes. They brighten over days to weeks and then permanently fade into darkness as their radioactive nickel-56 and cobalt-56 fuel decays. This explosion occurred 13.6 years ago (2013/03/14). Accounting for cosmological time dilation at redshift z = 0.0060, the rest-frame age is +4932.4 days. By standard radioactive decay templates, its optical brightness has decayed by Δm ≈ 49.4 magnitudes to an estimated magnitude 65.3, rendering the transient undetectable to all ground-based observatories.
Instrument Breakdown: At its maximum brightness in 2013/03/14, it reached magnitude 15.90 (Amateur CMOS Rig). Tonight, pointing a telescope at these coordinates will reveal only the background host galaxy (ESO 90-G4).
| Instrument Class & Aperture | Sensitivity Limit | At Peak Maximum (m=15.90) | Tonight (Est. m≈65.3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naked Eye Dark sky site (Bortle 1–3) with no optical aid |
m ≤ 6.0 | ❌ Below limit | ❌ Below limit |
| Binoculars (50mm) Standard 7x50 or 10x50 handheld binoculars |
m ≤ 9.5 | ❌ Below limit | ❌ Below limit |
| Small Backyard Scope (4" / 100mm) Entry 4-inch (100mm) refractor / reflector |
m ≤ 12.0 | ❌ Below limit | ❌ Below limit |
| Medium Amateur Scope (8"–12") 8-inch to 12-inch Dobsonian or Schmidt-Cassegrain |
m ≤ 14.5 | ❌ Below limit | ❌ Below limit |
| Amateur CMOS Rig Cooled monochrome/color CMOS camera with multi-hour stack |
m ≤ 19.5 | ✅ Detectable | ❌ Below limit |
| 2m–3m Research Telescope University or regional observatory (e.g. Palomar 60", Calar Alto) |
m ≤ 22.0 | ✅ Detectable | ❌ Below limit |
| Giant 8m–10m Observatories Keck (10m), VLT (8.2m), Gemini, Subaru optical imaging |
m ≤ 25.0 | ✅ Detectable | ❌ Below limit |
| Space Observatories Only Hubble Space Telescope (WFC3) / JWST (NIRCam deep stack) |
m ≤ 30.0 | ✅ Detectable | ❌ Below limit |
Planetary Safety Note: Even though PSN J08384182-6420485 was a titanic explosion, our planet sits safely outside the lethal 50–100 light-year kill zone. At a distance of 88.1 Million Light-Years, the blast poses zero physical hazard to Earth's biosphere.
Cataloged supernovae closest to PSN J08384182-6420485 in discovery time, spatial sky neighborhood, and cosmological lookback epoch:
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About PSN J08384182-6420485
What type of supernova is PSN J08384182-6420485 and what kind of star exploded? Astrophysics & Progenitor
What was the progenitor star doing in the millions of years leading up to PSN J08384182-6420485? Astrophysics & Progenitor
How far away is PSN J08384182-6420485 from Earth and how old is the light reaching us? Cosmic Distance & Time
What does the cosmological redshift of PSN J08384182-6420485 tell us about the expansion of space? Cosmic Distance & Time
How bright did PSN J08384182-6420485 become at its peak, and how many Suns does that equal? Explosion Energetics
How much total energy was released by PSN J08384182-6420485, and where did that energy go? Explosion Energetics
How fast are the supernova ejecta and shockwave of PSN J08384182-6420485 expanding through space? Explosion Energetics
What powers the prolonged glow of PSN J08384182-6420485 weeks and months after detonation? Radioactive Engine
What chemical elements did PSN J08384182-6420485 create and disperse into the universe? Nucleosynthesis & Elements
Did PSN J08384182-6420485 leave behind a black hole, a neutron star, or nothing at all? Cosmic Remnant
What will PSN J08384182-6420485's explosion site look like in 1,000 to 10,000 years? Cosmic Remnant
In which galaxy did PSN J08384182-6420485 explode, and where is it located relative to the galactic center? Galactic Environment
Where is PSN J08384182-6420485 located in the night sky and which constellation is it in? Sky Coordinates
How much Milky Way interstellar dust obscures our view of PSN J08384182-6420485? Interstellar Dust
Across which photometric filter bands was PSN J08384182-6420485 monitored? Astronomical Observations
What did astronomical spectroscopy reveal about PSN J08384182-6420485's chemical makeup? Astronomical Observations
Who discovered PSN J08384182-6420485 and how was it first detected? Discovery & History
How many scientific publications and observatories have contributed data to PSN J08384182-6420485? Scientific Research
What other names and survey identifiers exist for PSN J08384182-6420485? Cross-Identifications
PSN J01584182-6420485. These cross-matched identifiers allow astronomers to cross-reference observations across the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), Pan-STARRS, Gaia Photometric Science Alerts, and the IAU Transient Name Server (TNS).