![]() Light curves for SN 2020tlf in four photometric bands, plotted from data published by Jacobson-Galán et al. (2022) [1] | |
Event type | Type IIn |
---|---|
Constellation | Boötes |
Right ascension | 14h 40m 10.03s [1] |
Declination | 42° 46′ 39.45″ [1] |
Epoch | J2000 |
Distance | 36.8±1.29 million pc [1] |
Redshift | 0.008463±0.0003 [1] |
Host | NGC 5731 |
Progenitor type | Red supergiant |
Peak apparent magnitude | 15.89 [1] |
SN 2020tlf was a Type II supernova that occurred 120 million light years away in the galaxy NGC 5731. The supernova marked the first time that a red supergiant star had been observed before, during, and after the event, [2] [1] being observed up to 130 days before. [2] The progenitor star was between 10 and 12 solar masses.
The star was first observed by the Pan-STARRS telescope in the summer of 2020, with other telescopes such as ATLAS also observing it. It was initially believed that red supergiants were quiet before their demise; however, SN 2020tlf was observed emitting bright, intense radiation and ejecting massive amounts of gaseous material. [3] [4] Observations were also made throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, such as in the X-ray, ultraviolet, infrared and radio wave spectrums. [1]