| Ia | |
| Date | 3 May 2015 |
|---|---|
| Distance | 300 Mly (92 Mpc) |
| Host | IC 831 |
| Progenitor type | White dwarf |
| Other designations | iPTF 14atg |
iPTF14atg is a type-Ia supernova discovered on 3 May 2015. The supernova is located in galaxy IC 831, some 300 Mly (92 Mpc) distant.[1] The supernova is thought to have ignited on May 2 or 3.[2] The supernova's shockwave slammed into a companion star, shocking it into producing an ultraviolet pulse.[3] The companion star that was hit is suspected to be a red giant star.[citation needed] This detection of the UV signal represents the first time the collision event of a supernova shockwave upon a companion star has been detected.[4] The supernova was discovered by the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF), a successor to the earlier Palomar Transient Factory, and based at the Palomar Observatory in California. The data was processed by collaborators in Europe, that lead to the supernova discovery.[3]
This single-degenerate white dwarf with normal star binary system represents one of two mechanisms for producing a type-Ia supernova, the other being double-degenerate two white dwarf binary stars.[1][4]