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SN2019xfs

Type SLSN-II ● Brightness Unmeasured
Aliases: AT2019xfs, ZTF19abxequc  |  Discovered: 2019/09/13 by ZTF
⚡ Re-Enrich Data 📥 Download JSON 📊 Photometry CSV
Host Optical Cutout 0.26″/pix
Pan-STARRS1 DR1 Optical (0.25″/pix)
SN2019xfs cutout
Interactive Sky ↗

Core Parameters

R.A. (J2000)19:10:04.905 (287.52044°)
Dec. (J2000)+32:20:41.43 (32.34484°)
Spectral TypeSLSN-II
Redshift (z)0.116
Recession Velocity32800 km/s (redshift Doppler-equivalent)
Luminosity Distance557.2 Mpc (~1760.1 Million Light-Years, μ = 38.66)
Reported Magnitude19.3
Peak magnitude: Not established
Peak Absolute Mag-19.31
MW Dust E(B-V)0.1571 mag (AV = 0.49 mag)
derived from galactic coordinates (Analytical Galactic Disk Model (IAU)), not a dust-map measurement
Host Galaxy—
Host Offset—
Observations0 detections, 0 spectra

Interactive Sky Field (Aladin) ✨ DSS2 Optical (China-VO mirror)

🎯 19:10:04.905 +32:20:41.43 FOV: 0.15°
● SN2019xfs (SLSN-II)
Coordinate Pointing & Airmass
Brightness not measured: discovered 7.1 years ago (2019/09/13). No calibrated photometry is published. No reliable current brightness estimate is available.
Multi-Band Light Curve
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Calibrated Spectra Viewer

Literature & Data Provenance

IDSourceReferenceNASA ADS Bibcode
No sources recorded.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions About SN2019xfs

Scientific & observational Q&As indexed from astronomical databases & the Open Supernova Catalog
What type of supernova is SN2019xfs and what kind of star exploded? Astrophysics & Progenitor
SN2019xfs is classified as a superluminous supernova (SLSN). Proposed power sources include magnetar spin-down and ejecta–CSM interaction; which engine applies to this object is not established from the classification label alone.
What was the progenitor star doing in the millions of years leading up to SN2019xfs? Astrophysics & Progenitor
The specific progenitor of SN2019xfs 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 SN2019xfs.
How far away is SN2019xfs from Earth and how old is the light reaching us? Cosmic Distance & Time
SN2019xfs has a luminosity distance of approximately 1817.3 Million Light-Years (redshift z = 0.116, d_L = 557.2 Mpc). Under a flat ΛCDM cosmology (H₀≈70 km/s/Mpc, Ωₘ≈0.3), the corresponding lookback time is ≈1493 Myr — when the light set out 1492.9 million years ago in deep Precambrian time, well before multicellular animals dominated Earth. 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 SN2019xfs tell us about the expansion of space? Cosmic Distance & Time
SN2019xfs exhibits a measured spectroscopic redshift of z = 0.1160. The cockpit reports a user-facing recession velocity of 32,771.0 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 (≈34,776 km/s) is a different low-z approximation and is not mixed here.
How bright did SN2019xfs become at its peak, and how many Suns does that equal? Explosion Energetics
At peak brightness, SN2019xfs achieved an apparent magnitude of 19.3 around 2019/09/12. Corrected for cosmic distance and foreground interstellar dust, its intrinsic absolute magnitude was -19.31. At this peak, the exploding star radiated with the incandescent brilliance of approximately 4.5 billion Suns combined, briefly outshining the cumulative starlight of entire dwarf galaxies!
How much total energy was released by SN2019xfs, and where did that energy go? Explosion Energetics
SLSN radiated energies can exceed ordinary supernovae by large factors, but the power source (magnetar, CSM interaction, or other) is model-dependent. No object-specific energy release is published for SN2019xfs.
How fast are the supernova ejecta and shockwave of SN2019xfs expanding through space? Explosion Energetics
Spectroscopic line blueshifts imply an ejecta velocity of approximately 32,800 km/s (~10.9% of c) for SN2019xfs. This is distinct from cosmological recession velocity inferred from redshift.
What powers the prolonged glow of SN2019xfs weeks and months after detonation? Radioactive Engine
SLSN light curves may be powered by magnetar spin-down, CSM interaction, or (in some models) large ⁵⁶Ni masses. Which engine powers SN2019xfs is not established here, and no object-specific nickel mass is published.
What chemical elements did SN2019xfs create and disperse into the universe? Nucleosynthesis & Elements
Events of SN2019xfs'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 SN2019xfs.
Did SN2019xfs leave behind a black hole, a neutron star, or nothing at all? Cosmic Remnant
A core-collapse explosion associated with SN2019xfs'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 SN2019xfs'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 SN2019xfs. 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 SN2019xfs explode, and where is it located relative to the galactic center? Galactic Environment
No host galaxy is identified for SN2019xfs 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 SN2019xfs located in the night sky and which constellation is it in? Sky Coordinates
In the celestial sphere, SN2019xfs is located at Right Ascension 19:10:04.905 and Declination +32:20:41.43, situated in the constellation Lyra (The Lyre). Because its declination is +32:20:41.43, it is primarily placed in the Northern celestial hemisphere.
How much Milky Way interstellar dust obscures our view of SN2019xfs? Interstellar Dust
Along this line of sight, the catalog records a Milky Way foreground color excess of E(B−V) = 0.1571 mag (source: Analytical Galactic Disk Model (IAU)), corresponding to roughly A_V ≈ 0.49 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 SN2019xfs monitored? Astronomical Observations
No calibrated photometry is published for SN2019xfs. Without multi-epoch flux measurements, neither a light curve nor a peak magnitude can be established. Follow-up imaging from survey alert streams would be required to map its brightness evolution.
What did astronomical spectroscopy reveal about SN2019xfs's chemical makeup? Astronomical Observations
No spectrum has been published for SN2019xfs. 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 SN2019xfs and how was it first detected? Discovery & History
SN2019xfs was officially reported on 2019/09/13 by ZTF. 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 SN2019xfs? Scientific Research
Data for SN2019xfs are compiled from international astronomical notices, the IAU Transient Name Server (TNS), and peer-reviewed astrophysical journals.
What other names and survey identifiers exist for SN2019xfs? Cross-Identifications
Throughout global alert streams and survey databases, SN2019xfs has also been designated as: AT2019xfs, ZTF19abxequc. 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 SN2019xfs contribute to measuring the Hubble Constant and the scale of the cosmos? Cosmology & Distance Ladder
As a core-collapse supernova, SN2019xfs 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 SN2019xfs be detected on Earth? Multi-Messenger Astronomy
Core-collapse supernovae like SN2019xfs 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 SN2019xfs 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), SN2019xfs occurred at a distance of 1817.3 Million Light-Years. While historical naked-eye supernovae occurred within our Milky Way or its immediate satellites, modern discoveries like SN2019xfs allow astrophysicists to probe diverse galactic environments, metallicities, and stellar populations across the broader universe.
Can I see SN2019xfs tonight with a backyard telescope or binoculars? Backyard Observation
Unknown — no measured brightness. SN2019xfs was discovered 2610 days ago (2019/09/13), 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 SN2019xfs 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 1817.3 Million Light-Years, the inverse-square law dilutes the radiation by quintillions of times, making SN2019xfs 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. View All General Astrophysics FAQs →