astronomy

SN 2023ixf

SN 2023ixf is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SN 2023ixf rather than just read about it. In short: SN 2023ixf was a Type II-L (core collapse) supernova located 21 million light years away from Earth in the Pinwheel Galaxy in the constellation of Ursa Major. It was one of the brightest core collapse supernova to have occurred in the 21st century with an energy output of (0.3–1.4)×1051 ergs.

Key takeaways

SN 2023ixf belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SN 2023ixf to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SN 2023ixf from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SN 2023ixf was a Type II-L (core collapse) supernova located 21 million light years away from Earth in the Pinwheel Galaxy in the constellation of Ursa Major. It was one of the brightest core collapse supernova to have occurred in the 21st century with an energy output of (0.3–1.4)×1051 ergs. Before becoming a supernova, the progenitor star is believed to have been a supergiant with an absolute magnitude in the near-infrared (814nm) of MF814W = –4.66. It is expected that SN 2023ixf has left behind either a neutron star or black hole based on current stellar evolution models. The supernova is located near a prominent HII region, NGC 5461, in an outer spiral arm of the bright galaxy Messier 101. The supernova ejecta produced during the nebular phase contained <0.65 solar masses of the element oxygen, travelling at a speed of 2,250 kilometers per second which is consistent with models of a lower mass progenitor red supergiant star. The luminosity was powered by an estimated 0.049 solar masses of the isotope nickel-56. Its spectrum showed broad calcium profiles which dominated later stages of the nebular phase and a broad but complex multi-peaked hydrogen profile. The ejected hydrogen showed high velocity (6,000 kilometers per second) emission features which may be evidence of interaction with a dense region of hydrogen located at an extended distance.

Discovery and History

SN 2023ixf was first observed on 19 May 2023 by Kōichi Itagaki and immediately classified as a Type II supernova. The apparent magnitude at discovery was 14.9. After discovery, the Zwicky Transient Facility project found a precovery image of the supernova at magnitude 15.87 two days before discovery. By 22 May 2023, SN 2023ixf had brightened to about magnitude 11. It could be seen in telescopes as small as 114 mm (4.5 in) and remained visible with backyard telescopes for several months. The supernova started to fade around 10 June 2023. The last supernova that close to Earth occurred 9 years previously: SN 2014J in Messier 82, roughly 12 million light-years from Earth.

Image gallery

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SN 2023ixf

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SN 2023ixf claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SN 2023ixf before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SN 2023ixf ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SN 2023ixf

In research: SN 2023ixf appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SN 2023ixf in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SN 2023ixf is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2023 in outer space, Astronomical objects discovered in 2023, Discoveries by Koichi Itagaki, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SN 2023ixf outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SN 2023ixf in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SN 2023ixf means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SN 2023ixf out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SN 2023ixf in simple terms?

Why does SN 2023ixf matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SN 2023ixf?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SN 2023ixf.