Host Optical Cutout
0.26″/pix
DESI DR10 Optical (0.26″/pix)
Core Parameters
| R.A. (J2000) | 09:02:00.420 (135.50175°) |
|---|---|
| Dec. (J2000) | +12:21:23.15 (12.35643°) |
| Spectral Type | II |
| Redshift (z) | 0.067 |
| Recession Velocity | 19414.6 km/s (redshift Doppler-equivalent) |
| Luminosity Distance | 311.15 Mpc (~983.3 Million Light-Years, μ = 37.40) |
| Peak Apparent Mag | 18.04 brightest multi-epoch detection (2018/11/05) |
| Peak Absolute Mag | -19.36 |
| MW Dust E(B-V) | 0.0577 mag (AV = 0.18 mag) derived from galactic coordinates (Analytical Galactic Disk Model (IAU)), not a dust-map measurement |
| Host Galaxy | — |
| Host Offset | — |
| Observations | 369 detections, 633 upper limits, 0 spectra |
Interactive Sky Field (Aladin) ✨ DSS2 Optical (China-VO mirror)
🎯 09:02:00.420 +12:21:23.15
FOV: 0.15°
● SN2018hov (II)
Coordinate Pointing & Airmass
Discovered 8.0 years ago (2018/10/26). Cataloged peak 2018/11/05 (2922d ago; rest-frame phase +2738.5d). Cataloged/observed peak: m = 18.04 on 2018/11/05. Latest observed: m = 19.45 on 2026/05/02 (MJD 61162.2). No reliable current brightness estimate — no event-specific brightness fit with documented uncertainty is published for this object. Class-average decay templates are not used as object-specific predictions. Latest observed magnitude: m = 19.45 on 2026/05/02 (MJD 61162.2). Published upper limits (nondetections) exist in the photometry record. Current brightness trend is unknown (last observation 2026/05/02 (MJD 61162.2); same-band recent pair unavailable or stale). Use the window below to plan observations tonight.
Multi-Band Light Curve
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Calibrated Spectra Viewer
🌌 Cosmic Neighbors & Contemporaries
105,768+ transients indexed
Cataloged transients closest to SN2018hov in discovery time, spatial sky neighborhood, and cosmological redshift:
⏱️ Closest in Time
AT2018hsi
Exploded same day
Type Ia-91bg
2018/10/26 · Mag 19.6
AT2018jrg
Exploded same day
Type Candidate
2018/10/26 · Mag 18.1
Gaia18deh
Exploded same day
Type Candidate
2018/10/26 · Mag 18.86
Literature & Data Provenance
| ID | Source | Reference | NASA ADS Bibcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | Transient Name Server | — | |
| [2] | 2018TNSTR1642....1T | Hanjie Tan(NCU) | 2018TNSTR1642....1T |
| [3] | The Open Supernova Catalog | Guillochon et al. (2017) | 2017ApJ...835...64G |
| [4] | ALeRCE / ZTF | — | |
| [5] | Planck 2015 | Planck Collaboration (2016) | 2016A&A...594A..13P |
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About SN2018hov
Scientific & observational Q&As indexed from astronomical databases & the Open Supernova Catalog
What type of supernova is SN2018hov and what kind of star exploded? Astrophysics & Progenitor
SN2018hov is classified as a Type II supernova, consistent with core collapse of a massive star that retained hydrogen in its outer envelope. Typical progenitor mass ranges quoted for the class are model expectations, not a measured mass for this star.
What was the progenitor star doing in the millions of years leading up to SN2018hov? Astrophysics & Progenitor
The specific progenitor of SN2018hov has not been observed. Events of this spectroscopic class are generally associated with massive-star core collapse after successive nuclear burning stages (hydrogen → helium → carbon → neon → oxygen → silicon → iron). Typical lifetimes of such progenitors are tens of millions of years, but that is a class expectation—not a measured age or evolutionary track for this star. No pre-explosion imaging identification is cited in the available record for SN2018hov.
How far away is SN2018hov from Earth and how old is the light reaching us? Cosmic Distance & Time
SN2018hov has a luminosity distance of approximately 1014.8 Million Light-Years (redshift z = 0.067, d_L = 311.15 Mpc). Under a flat ΛCDM cosmology (H₀≈70 km/s/Mpc, Ωₘ≈0.3), the corresponding lookback time is ≈892 Myr — when the light set out 892.2 million years ago during the Neoproterozoic, hundreds of millions of years before complex animal life diversified. Luminosity distance is larger than the light-travel distance because cosmic expansion stretches the path; the two must not be equated.
What does the cosmological redshift of SN2018hov tell us about the expansion of space? Cosmic Distance & Time
SN2018hov exhibits a measured spectroscopic redshift of z = 0.0670. The cockpit reports a user-facing recession velocity of 19,414.6 km/s, computed as the redshift Doppler-equivalent v = c·((1+z)²−1)/((1+z)²+1). Cosmological redshift is not generally equivalent to special-relativistic motion through space; this number is a convenient velocity label for z, not a measured peculiar velocity and not supernova ejecta speed. Bare c·z (≈20,086 km/s) is a different low-z approximation and is not mixed here.
How bright did SN2018hov become at its peak, and how many Suns does that equal? Explosion Energetics
At peak brightness, SN2018hov achieved an apparent magnitude of 18.04 around 2018/11/05. Corrected for cosmic distance and foreground interstellar dust, its intrinsic absolute magnitude was -19.36. At this peak, the exploding star radiated with the incandescent brilliance of approximately 4.7 billion Suns combined, briefly outshining the cumulative starlight of entire dwarf galaxies!
How much total energy was released by SN2018hov, and where did that energy go? Explosion Energetics
Core-collapse events of this broad class are often discussed with a ~10⁵³ erg gravitational binding energy of which ~99% may escape as neutrinos—again a class scale, not a measured budget for SN2018hov.
How fast are the supernova ejecta and shockwave of SN2018hov expanding through space? Explosion Energetics
No ejecta velocity is measured for SN2018hov. Blast-wave speed is obtained from Doppler shifts of spectral absorption features (e.g. Si II λ6355 for Type Ia), not from cosmological redshift. Any recession velocity derived from z describes Hubble flow, not the explosion debris. Type II events typically show ejecta speeds of order ~8,500 km/s near maximum, but that class scale is not a measurement of SN2018hov.
What powers the prolonged glow of SN2018hov weeks and months after detonation? Radioactive Engine
Classified core-collapse light curves are often sustained after peak by radioactive ⁵⁶Ni → ⁵⁶Co → ⁵⁶Fe decay, with typical nickel yields of order 0.05–0.15 solar masses—again a class scale, not a measured yield for SN2018hov. Shock-breakout heating may dominate the earliest optical flash; without a published bolometric fit, neither nickel mass nor the dominant power source is established for this event.
What chemical elements did SN2018hov create and disperse into the universe? Nucleosynthesis & Elements
Events of SN2018hov's broad spectroscopic class are discussed in galactic chemical evolution as sources of oxygen-group and intermediate-mass elements (and, for some channels, iron-peak material). No measured elemental yields are published for SN2018hov.
Did SN2018hov leave behind a black hole, a neutron star, or nothing at all? Cosmic Remnant
A core-collapse explosion associated with SN2018hov's class forges an ultra-dense compact stellar remnant at the center of the detonation. If the progenitor had an initial mass under ~20 solar masses, it left behind a neutron star (pulsar)—packing the mass of our entire Sun into a city-sized sphere barely 20 kilometers wide, spinning dozens or hundreds of times per second. If the progenitor exceeded ~25–30 solar masses, gravity overcame neutron degeneracy pressure, creating a permanent stellar-mass black hole.
What will SN2018hov's explosion site look like in 1,000 to 10,000 years? Cosmic Remnant
Supernova remnants in general evolve through free-expansion, Sedov–Taylor, and radiative phases over centuries to millennia, sometimes becoming bright X-ray shells and occasionally compressing nearby molecular clouds. These are standard remnant-evolution models, not forecasts measured for SN2018hov. Whether this site will trigger star formation, reach particular X-ray temperatures, or match Cassiopeia A depends on local density and magnetic field—none of which are constrained by the data shown here.
In which galaxy did SN2018hov explode, and where is it located relative to the galactic center? Galactic Environment
No host galaxy is identified for SN2018hov in this catalog record. A blank host field means the association is unresolved here—it does not establish that the host is uncataloged, resolved in imaging, or securely linked by astrometry. Possible states (unidentified, hostless candidate, imaging detection without a catalog name, or a securely matched cataloged galaxy) require separate evidence that is not present in this field.
Where is SN2018hov located in the night sky and which constellation is it in? Sky Coordinates
In the celestial sphere, SN2018hov is located at Right Ascension 09:02:00.420 and Declination +12:21:23.15, situated in the constellation Cancer (The Crab). Because its declination is +12:21:23.15, it is primarily placed in the Northern celestial hemisphere.
How much Milky Way interstellar dust obscures our view of SN2018hov? Interstellar Dust
Along this line of sight, the catalog records a Milky Way foreground color excess of E(B−V) = 0.0577 mag (source: Analytical Galactic Disk Model (IAU)), corresponding to roughly A_V ≈ 0.18 mag for R_V = 3.1. Band-specific corrections (e.g. A_r) differ from A_V and should be applied when available. Map-based values (IRSA / Schlafly & Finkbeiner 2011) must not be claimed unless that map was actually queried.
Across which photometric filter bands was SN2018hov monitored? Astronomical Observations
SN2018hov was tracked across 1002 photometric observations across a baseline of 2734.7 days utilizing filter bands including
g, i, r. Data were captured by observatories and survey networks including ZTF. Multi-color photometry tracks the temperature evolution of the fireball, verifying the rise time to peak and the rate of radioactive decline.What did astronomical spectroscopy reveal about SN2018hov's chemical makeup? Astronomical Observations
No spectrum has been published for SN2018hov. Without spectroscopy, its chemical composition, expansion velocity, and physical classification cannot be established. Classification spectra from follow-up observatories would be required to identify diagnostic absorption and emission lines.
Who discovered SN2018hov and how was it first detected? Discovery & History
SN2018hov was officially reported on 2018/10/26 by Hanjie Tan(NCU), Wenxiong Li(THU), Bin Li (PMO),Zhitong Li(THU), Xiaofeng Wang(THU),Zhijian Xu,Haibin Zhao(PMO),Lifan Wang (PMO/TAMU),Jujia Zhang(YNAO). Discoveries are typically flagged by high-cadence robotic survey telescopes (such as ATLAS, ZTF, Pan-STARRS, ASAS-SN, or Gaia) and worldwide amateur astronomers scanning the night sky, followed by rapid spectroscopic classification by international observatories.
How many scientific publications and observatories have contributed data to SN2018hov? Scientific Research
SN2018hov is documented across 5 scientific references and archival data sources in the Open Supernova Catalog. These include discovery circulars and research datasets from Transient Name Server, 2018TNSTR1642....1T, The Open Supernova Catalog, ALeRCE / ZTF. All raw photometry and spectroscopy points are cross-indexed to their original bibliographic records for peer-reviewed verification.
What other names and survey identifiers exist for SN2018hov? Cross-Identifications
Throughout global alert streams and survey databases, SN2018hov has also been designated as:
2018hov, PS18ceo, AT2018hov, Gaia18diy, ATLAS18zkq, PTSS-18kce, SN 2018hov, ZTF18acdvrfu. 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).How does SN2018hov contribute to measuring the Hubble Constant and the scale of the cosmos? Cosmology & Distance Ladder
As a core-collapse supernova, SN2018hov provides independent cosmological distance calibrations via the Expanding Photosphere Method (EPM) and the Standard Candle Method for Type II supernovae (SCM-II). By correlating the physical expansion speed of the photosphere (measured via spectroscopic Doppler shifts) with its photometric color temperature, astronomers determine direct geometric distances independent of secondary distance ladders.
Could gravitational waves or neutrinos from SN2018hov be detected on Earth? Multi-Messenger Astronomy
Core-collapse supernovae like SN2018hov are premier targets for multi-messenger astrophysics! During the collapse of the iron core, an intense burst of 10⁵⁸ neutrinos escaped into space hours before the shock broke out through the stellar surface (as famously seen in SN 1987A). Furthermore, violent core asymmetries and non-axisymmetric core bounce can emit high-frequency gravitational waves detectable by advanced interferometers (LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA) for events within the Milky Way and Local Group.
How does SN2018hov compare to famous historical supernovae like SN 1987A or the Crab Supernova? Historical Comparison
Compared to historical landmarks like SN 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud (168,000 light-years away, naked-eye peak m = 2.9) or the Crab Supernova of 1054 (6,500 light-years away), SN2018hov occurred at a distance of 1014.8 Million Light-Years. While historical naked-eye supernovae occurred within our Milky Way or its immediate satellites, modern discoveries like SN2018hov allow astrophysicists to probe diverse galactic environments, metallicities, and stellar populations across the broader universe.
Can I see SN2018hov tonight with a backyard telescope or binoculars? Backyard Observation
Unknown — no measured brightness. SN2018hov was discovered 2932 days ago (2018/10/26), but no calibrated photometry is published for it, so its current apparent magnitude cannot be stated. Without a magnitude there is no basis for a telescope-aperture recommendation. Use the coordinates and airmass chart above to plan a follow-up observation and report what you measure.
Does the radiation or shockwave from SN2018hov pose any threat to Earth? Planetary Safety
No, Earth is in zero danger. Supernovae are violent events emitting powerful gamma rays, X-rays, and cosmic rays; however, the astrophysical 'lethal kill zone' for our planet's protective ozone layer is estimated at 50 to 100 light-years. At a distance of 1014.8 Million Light-Years, the inverse-square law dilutes the radiation by quintillions of times, making SN2018hov completely harmless to our biosphere and purely a fascinating spectacle for human exploration.
Data sourced from IAU TNS, ALeRCE, WISeREP, and the Open Supernova Catalog.
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