FREDERICTON – A young amateur astronomer from Fredericton has become the youngest person to ever discover a supernova.
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada says 10-year-old Kathryn Aurora Gray of Fredericton made the discovery on the weekend under the watch of two other astronomers.
The society says an image of a galaxy in the constellation of the Camelopardalis was made New Year’s Eve and the supernova was discovered on Sunday.
Supernovas are stellar explosions that signal the violent deaths of stars several times more massive than our sun.
A new supernova reveals itself as a bright point of light that wasn’t there the last time the galaxy was checked.
Since they can outshine millions of ordinary stars, supernovas are easy to spot with a modest telescope.
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