Image: KeplerSpaceTelescope-SupernovaKSN2011b-20150520

Description: http://www.nasa.gov/ames/kepler/nasa-spacecraft-capture-rare-early-moments-of-baby-supernovae The graphic depicts a light curve of the newly discovered Type Ia supernova, KSN 2011b, from NASA's Kepler spacecraft. The light curve shows a star's brightness (vertical axis) as a function of time (horizontal axis) before, during and after the star exploded. The white diagram on the right represents 40 days of continuous observations by Kepler. In the red zoom box, the agua-colored region is the expected 'bump' in the data if a companion star is present during a supernova. The measurements remained constant (yellow line) concluding the cause to be the merger of two closely orbiting stars, most likely two white dwarfs. The finding provides the first direct measurements capable of informing scientists of the cause of the blast.
Title: KeplerSpaceTelescope-SupernovaKSN2011b-20150520
Credit: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/supernova-may20-2015.jpg
Author: NASA Ames/W. Stenzel
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No