This is a list of supernova candidates, or stars that are believed to soon become supernovae. Type II supernova progenitors include stars with at least 8~10 solar masses that are in the final stages of their evolution. Prominent examples of stars in this mass range include Antares, Spica, Gamma Velorum, [2] Mu Cephei, and members of the Quintuplet Cluster. [3] Type Ia supernova progenitors are white dwarf stars that are close to the Chandrasekhar limit of about 1.44 solar masses and are accreting matter from a binary companion star.
The list includes massive Wolf–Rayet stars, which may become Type Ib/Ic supernovae, particularly oxygen-sequence (Wolf-Rayet WO) stars. As of 2023, most of these candidates are in the Milky Way galaxy, however five oxygen-sequence Wolf-Rayet stars are also known in other galaxies.
Identifier | Epoch J2000 | Constellation | Distance | Spectral | Evolutionary stage | Possible supernova type | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. A. | Dec. | |||||||
Wolf 1130 | 20h 05m 19.5s [4] | +54° 26′ 03″ [4] | Cygnus | 54.09±0.02 [4] | M3 + D | Main sequence + White dwarf | Ia | [5] |
49 Librae | 16h 00m 19.61s [6] | −16° 32′ 00.5″ [6] | Libra | 95.3±0.5 | F8V + D | Main sequence + white dwarf | Ia | [7] |
NLTT 12758 | 04h 12m 26.33s | −11° 17′ 47.3″ | Eridanus [8] | 115±0.1 | D + D | White dwarf | Ia | Supernova will occur in 140 billion years [9] |
IK Pegasi | 21h 26m 26.7s | +19° 22′ 32″ | Pegasus | 154.4±1.0 [10] | A8m:/DA | White dwarf | Ia | Supernova will occur in 1.9 billion years [11] |
WD J181058.67+311940.94 | 18h 10m 58.7s | +31° 19′ 40.9″ | Hercules [12] | 160 | D + D | White dwarf | Ia | Supernova will occur in 23 billion years [13] |
Sigma Sagittarii (Nunki) | 18h 55m 15.93s | –26° 17′ 48.2″ | Sagittarius | 228±5 | B2.5 V | Main sequence | II | Supernova will occur in over 20 million years [14] |
Bellatrix (Gamma Orionis) | 05h 25m 07.86s | +06° 20′ 58.9″ | Orion | 250±10 | B2 III | Blue Giant | II or Ia | [15] |
Spica (Alpha Virginis) | 13h 25m 11.6s | −11° 09′ 40.8″ | Virgo | 250+14 −13 [16] | B1 | Subgiant | [17] | |
Acrux (Alpha¹ Crucis) | 12h 26m 35.9s | –63° 05′ 56″ | Crux | 320±20 [16] | B0.5 IV | Main sequence (blue dwarf) | II | [18] |
Acrux (Alpha² Crucis) | 12h 26m 36.4s | –63° 05′ 58″ | Crux | 320±20 [16] | B1 V | Main sequence (blue dwarf) | II | [18] |
Zeta Ophiuchi | 16h 37m 09.5s | −10° 34′ 02″ | Ophiuchus | 365±6.52 [1] | O9.5V | Main sequence (blue dwarf) | [1] | |
Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis) | 05h 55m 10.3s | +07° 24′ 25″ | Orion | ~400–500 [19] | M2Iab | Red supergiant | IIP | [20] |
Alpha Lupi | 14h 41m 55.8s | –47° 23′ 17″ | Lupus | 465+12 −11 [16] | B1.5 | Blue giant | II | [17] |
Antares (Alpha Scorpii) | 16h 29m 24.5s | –26° 25′ 55″ | Scorpius | 554+113 −80 [16] | M1.5Iab-b | Red supergiant | IIP | [17] |
Saiph (Kappa Orionis) | 05h 47m 45.38884s | −09° 40′ 10.5777″ | Orion | 650 ± 30 | B0.5 Ia | Blue Supergiant | II | [21] |
Pi Puppis (Ahadi) | 07h 17m 08.6s | –37° 05′ 51″ | Puppis | 807+72 −61 [16] | K3 Ib | Red supergiant | II? | [1] [22] |
S Monocerotis A | 06h 40m 58.7s | +09° 53′ 44″ | Monoceros | 920+150 −110 [16] | O7V | Main sequence (blue dwarf) | II | [1] |
S Monocerotis B | 06h 40m 58.7s | +09° 53′ 44″ | Monoceros | 920+150 −110 [16] | O9.5V | Main sequence (blue dwarf) | II | [1] |
Rigel (Beta Orionis) | 05h 14m 32.3s | –08° 12′ 06″ | Orion | 1118+30 −28 [10] | B8Ia | Blue supergiant | IIn(pec?) | [23] |
Gamma2 Velorum A | 08h 09m 32.0s | −47° 20′ 12″ | Vela | 1120+130 −100 [16] | WC8 | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic | [24] [2] |
Gamma2 Velorum B | 08h 09m 32.0s | −47° 20′ 12″ | Vela | 1120+130 −100 [16] | O7.5III | Blue supergiant | II | [25] [2] |
Mintaka Aa1 (Delta Orionis) | 05h 32m 00.4000s | −00° 17′ 56.7424″ | Orion | 1,200 | O9.5II | Blue supergiant | II | [26] |
Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis) | 05h 36m 12.81s | −01° 12′ 06.9″ | Orion | 1250±26 | B0 Ia | Blue supergiant | II | [27] |
Alnitak Aa (Zeta Orionis) | 05h 40m 45.5s | −01° 56′ 34.3″ | Orion | 1260±180 | O9.5Iab | Blue supergiant | [28] | |
HD 49798 | 06h 48m 04.7s | −44° 18′ 58″ | Puppis | 1699±46 [29] | sdO5.5/D [30] | White dwarf | Ia | Supernova will occur in a few tens of thousands of years [31] [32] |
119 Tauri | 05h 32m 12.8s | +18° 35′ 40″ | Taurus | 1790+300 −220 [16] | M2Iab-Ib | Red supergiant | IIb | [1] [22] |
Deneb (Alpha Cygni) | 20h 41m 25.9s | +45° 16′ 49″ | Cygnus | 2615±215 [1] | A2la | Blue supergiant | IIL | [1] |
T Coronae Borealis | 15h 59m 30.2s | +25° 55′ 13″ | Corona Borealis | 2690+110 −100 [10] | M3III/D | White dwarf | Ia | [33] |
KPD 1930+2752 | 19h 32m 14.9s | +27° 58′ 35″ | Cygnus | 2860+130 −120 [10] | sdB/D | White dwarf | Ia | [nb 1] [34] [35] |
Mu Cephei | 21h 43m 30.5s | +58° 46′ 48″ | Cepheus | 3060+456 −130 [36] | M2Ia | Red hypergiant | IIn/IIb | [37] |
Rho Cassiopeiae | 23h 54m 23.0s | +57° 29′ 58″ | Cassiopeia | 3440+930 −610 [10] | G2Ia0e | Yellow hypergiant | IIL | [38] |
VY Canis Majoris | 07h 22m 58.3s | −25° 46′ 03″ | Canis Major | 3930+420 −350 [39] | M5eIa | Red hypergiant | II | [20] [40] |
IRAS 17163-3907 | 17h 19m 49.3s | −39° 10′ 37.9″ | Scorpius | 3930+990 −660 [10] | late B/early A | Yellow hypergiant | II | [41] |
Wray 17-96 | 17h 41m 35.4s | –30° 06′ 39″ | Scorpius | 3940+1110 −710 [10] | B3 | Luminous blue variable | ||
VV Cephei A | 21h 56m 39.1s | +63° 37′ 32″ | Cepheus | 4900 [42] | M2Iab | Red hypergiant | [1] | |
Mu Sagittarii | 18h 13m 14.8s | –21° 03′ 32″ | Sagittarius | 5100 [43] | B8Iap | Blue supergiant | [44] | |
P Cygni | 20h 17m 47.2s | +38° 01′ 59″ | Cygnus | 5250±590 [45] | B1Ia+ | Luminous blue variable | IIb | [46] |
HD 168625 | 18h 21m 19.5s | −16° 22′ 26″ | Sagittarius | 5250+600 −490 [10] | B6Ia | Luminous blue variable | II | [47] |
NML Cygni | 20h 46m 25.6s | +40° 06′ 59.4″ | Cygnus | 5250+420 −360 [48] | M6I | Red hypergiant | II | [49] |
IRC +10420 | 19h 26m 48.1s | +11° 21′ 17″ | Aquila | 5600+2200 −1200 [10] | F8Ia+ | Yellow hypergiant | IIb | [50] [51] |
WR 142 | 20h 21m 44.3s | +37° 22′ 31″ | Cygnus | 5670+290 −270 [10] | WO2 | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic | |
WR 136 | 20h 12m 06.5s | +38° 21′ 18″ | Cygnus | 6700+500 −430 [10] | WN6(h)-s | Wolf–Rayet star | Ic | |
RS Ophiuchi | 17h 50m 13.2s | –06° 42′ 28″ | Ophiuchus | 7380+1000 −790 [10] | M2III/D | White dwarf | Ia | |
Eta Carinae | 10h 45m 03.6s | −59° 41′ 04″ | Carina | 8630+69 −68 [10] | LBV/O | Luminous blue variable | Ib | [52] [53] |
WR 93b | 17h 32m 03.3s | −35° 04′ 32″ | Scorpius | 8700+1900 −1300 [10] | WO3 | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic | |
WR 102 | 17h 45m 47.5s | −26° 10′ 27″ | Sagittarius | 9410+840 −710 [10] | WO2 | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic | |
HD 179821 | 19h 13m 58.6s | +00° 07′ 32″ | Aquila | 10500+2100 −1500 [10] | G5Ia | Yellow hypergiant | IIL | [54] [55] |
T Pyxidis | 09h 04m 41.5s | −32° 22′ 48″ | Pyxis | 10700+1700 −1300 [10] | White dwarf | Ia | [56] [57] | |
WR 104 | 18h 02m 04.1s | –23° 37′ 41″ | Sagittarius | 13400+9200 −3900 [10] | WC9d/OB | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic with Grb? | [58] [59] |
AG Carinae | 10h 56m 11.57814s | −60° 27′ 12.8107″ | Carina | 17000±1000 | LBV (WN11h-A-Ia) | Luminous blue variable | IIb | [60] |
WR 30a | 10h 51m 38.9s | −60° 56′ 35.2″ | Carina | 38900+18500 −9500 [10] | WO4/O5((f)) | Wolf–Rayet star | ||
Sher 25 | 11h 15m 07.8s | −61° 15′ 17″ | Carina | 43500+5200 −4200 [10] | B1.5Iab | Blue supergiant | [61] | |
U Scorpii | 16h 22m 30.7s | –17° 52′ 42″ | Scorpius | 63900+68500 −17300 [62] | White dwarf | Ia | [63] | |
LMC195-1 | 05h 18m 10.3s | −69° 13′ 03″ | Dorado | 160000 [10] | WO2 | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic | |
S Doradus | 05h 18m 14.4s | −69° 15′ 01″ | Dorado | 169000 | LBV | Luminous blue variable | [64] | |
SMC AB8 | 01h 31m 04.1s | −73° 25′ 04″ | Hydrus | 200000 [10] | WO4/O4 | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic | |
DR1 | 01h 05m 01.6s | +02° 04′ 20″ | Cetus | 2350000 | WO3 | Wolf–Rayet star | Ib/Ic with Grb? | [65] |