SN 2021afdx is a Type IIb supernova that exploded in the Cartwheel Galaxy, a ring galaxy located around 500 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. Discovered on 23 November 2021 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), it is one of the few supernovae observed in detail with both ground-based telescopes and the James Webb Space Telescope. The event is notable for revealing an infrared echo from pre-existing circumstellar dust, providing key insights into dust production and heating mechanisms in core-collapse supernovae.
Observation SN 2021afdx was later observed by the James Webb Space Telescope during its Early Release Observations of the Cartwheel Galaxy around 200 days after the supernova occurred.
Follow-up spectroscopy conducted by the extended Public ESO Spectroscopic Survey for Transient Objects (ePESSTO+) using the FLOYDS spectrograph at the Las Cumbres Observatory confirmed its classification as a Type IIb supernova.
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