Journey to Supernova SN 2026gzf in Sextans | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

Journey to Supernova SN 2026gzf in Sextans | Vera C. Rubin Observatory

The final images show the evolution of supernova SN 2026gzf in a galaxy about 500 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus. It was first detected by the Einstein Probe on March 21, 2026. Images taken on March 25 and April 3, 2026, show the supernova brightening. An archival image of the host galaxy from March 9, 2016, reveals a bright blue source at the location of the supernova. Scientists say it 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 National Science Foundation (NSF) Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

Learn more about the new Vera Rubin Observatory:

https://noirlab.edu/science/programs/vera-c-rubin-observatory

The LSST Camera (LSSTCam)

https://lsstcam.lsst.io/

An Introduction to Vera Rubin:

https://rubinobservatory.org/about/vera-rubin

Video Credit: NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory/NOIRLab/SLAC/AURA, Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO, DSS2, N. Bartmann, E. Slawik, T.A. Rector, D. de Martin & M. Zamani

Duration: 1 minute, 30 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 5, 2026

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