Hubble Space Telescope Captures First Predicted Supernova First Seen in 2014

The reappearance of the Refsdal supernova was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, seen on the left. The two smaller images show the supernova spotted at earlier times. NASA/ESA

The Hubble Space Telescope captured the first image ever of a predicted supernova explosion, marking an accomplishment for astronomers involved in the project.

The project, a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, started in November 2014 when scientists spotted four separate images of the Refsdal supernova around the galaxy.

The optical illusion was due to the mass of a single galaxy within the cluster warping and magnifying the light from the distant stellar explosion in a process known as gravitational lensing, according to the astronomers.

An illustration of the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit. ESA