SN 2021afdx
Supernova
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SN 2021afdx is a Type IIb supernova that exploded in the Cartwheel Galaxy, a ring galaxy located around 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. Discovered on 23 November 2021 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), it is one of the few supernovae observed in detail with both ground-based telescopes and the James Webb Space Telescope. The event is notable for revealing an infrared echo from pre-existing circumstellar dust, providing key insights into dust production and heating mechanisms in core-collapse supernovae.[2][1][3][4][5]
Image of the host Cartwheel Galaxy | |
| Event type | Supernova |
|---|---|
| Type IIb | |
| Date | 23 November 2021 by ATLAS |
| Constellation | Sculptor |
| Right ascension | 00h 37m 41.1368s |
| Declination | −33° 42′ 58.712″ |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Distance | c. 500 million ly |
| Host | Cartwheel Galaxy |
| Progenitor type | Yellow Supergiant[1] |
Observation
SN 2021afdx was later observed by the James Webb Space Telescope during its Early Release Observations of the Cartwheel Galaxy around 200 days after the supernova occurred. [5][6]
Follow-up spectroscopy conducted by the extended Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects (ePESSTO+) using the FLOYDS spectrograph at the Las Cumbres Observatory confirmed its classification as a Type IIb supernova.[7]