DECam images of supernova SN 2026gzf (IMAGE)

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)

DECam images of supernova SN 2026gzf

Caption

These images show the evolution of supernova SN 2026gzf, which was first detected by the Einstein Probe on 21 March 2026. Images taken on 25 March and 3 April 2026 show the supernova brightening. An archival image of the host galaxy from 9 March 2016 reveals a bright blue source at the location of the supernova, which scientists say likely represents a compact, extreme star-forming region in the host galaxy, combined with pre-explosion activity of the progenitor star before its death. 

These images were captured with the 570-megapixel DOE-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the NSF Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

View the individual images at the following links: pre-explosion field, 9 March 2016, 25 March 2026, 3 April 2026.

Credit

CTIO/NOIRLab/DOE/NSF/AURA Image Processing: D. de Martin & M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

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