50年来最亮超新星爆炸 英国境内可用望远镜观看

There will be an once-in-a-lifetime event in the night sky over the next few days – as a star exploding 21 million light years away becomes so bright it will be visible through binoculars across Britain。

The supernova is predicted to reach its brightest between September 9 and 12, and will be the brightest since 1954, visible all over Britain, weather permitting. A team of scientists at Oxford University are tracking it using the Hubble Space Telescope。

50年来最亮超新星爆炸 英国境内可用望远镜观看

Dr Mark Sullivan, the astrophysicist leading the Oxford team examining the supernova, said: "This is accessible to anyone with a decent pair of binoculars. For many it could be a once in a lifetime chance to see a supernova blossom and then fade before their eyes. We may not see another like it for over 100 years."

It will appear bluish-white, just above and to the left of the last two stars in the Big Dipper. Watchers are advised to stay away from street lights for maximum visibility.

The matter from the explosion will eventually form new stars and planets. Such events, which include one in five supernovae, provide scientists with essential information on how the universe expands。

据英国《每日邮报》9月8日报道，在未来几天，将会有一颗百年一遇的超行星在夜间爆炸，这颗行星距离地球2100万光年，所以它极其明亮，只要在英国境内，使用双筒望远镜就可以观测到。

牛津大学的一队科学家正在用哈勃太空望远镜跟踪观测这颗超新星，据他们预计，这颗超行星在9月9日到9月12日间最为明亮。只要天气好，这就是自1954年以来，在英国境内可见的最亮的一颗超新星。

带领牛津大学超新星观测队的天体物理学家马克•沙利文博士说：“只要用个合适的双筒望远镜，每个人就都可以观测到。观看一颗超新星在自己眼前爆炸然后逐渐消失，这对于很多人来说，都恐怕是一辈子只能有一次的经历。以后的一百年，我们可能不会再看到这样的景象了。”

这颗超行星乍出现时呈蓝白色，位置正好在北斗七星最后两颗星的左上方。为了最大限度的清楚地对其进行观测，观测者应该远离有街灯的地方。

此次爆炸产生的物质最终会形成一些新星和星球。超新星中有1/5的都会发生这样的爆炸，这为科学家们研究宇宙如何膨胀提供了必要的信息。