Hubble Captured a Supernova Just Hours After the Explosion

Hubble Space Telescope unexpectedly captured a supernova within hours after the star's collapse and its initial explosion in the Abell 370 galaxy cluster.

Hubble took the first images of the Abell 370 galaxy cluster back in 2010. Scientists were reviewing the telescope's archive data and found an image of an infant supernova that exploded 11.5 billion years ago, taken just hours after the death of the star.

In the images, astronomers have seen the early phases of a supernova at different stages. The three images of this supernova show a faint blue spot of a growing flare that is getting brighter and redder. This shows that we are observing the expansion and cooling of stellar material immediately after the initial explosion.

By studying supernovae like this one, we can learn more about the formation of stars and galaxies in the early universe.