Girl, 10, Discovers Supernova


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Kathryn Aurora Gray is taking her new celebrity in stride after becoming the youngest person ever to discover a supernova.

The 10-year-old Fredericton girl's phone has been ringing off the hook ever since the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada announced her find Monday.

But the amateur astronomer knows -- better than anybody, perhaps -- that her discovery is fleeting. "It's just a blowing-up of stars so eventually it will fade away," she said of the supernova. "I was very excited to find one. Especially this quick."

Kathryn made the discovery over the weekend under the supervision of her father Paul Gray and with help from family friend David Lane, longtime astronomy enthusiasts who were co-credited with the find.

According to the society, the trio spotted a magnitude 17 supernova in galaxy UGC 3378 in the constellation Camelopardalis, about 240 million light years away.

Lane collected the images with a telescope in Halifax on New Year's Eve and sent them over to the Grays, who began examining them on Sunday using computer software that allows users to lay new images on top of old ones and click between them to look for differences. Kathryn said they quickly ruled out "noise" on the photograph and contacted a third party to take another photo in order to rule out a comet or asteroid.

"We sent the email off and then they made sure no one else had discovered it before and then they made an announcement."

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Makes her one of the youngest badass nerds on planet earth... Nice.

If I were her, I'd contact NASA or so and see whether they have something nice for a young discoverer like her... :cool:

Glassed Silver:lin

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Tbh, I bet it wasn't her who found it. I bet her dad and the other "enthusiast" found it but decided to be nice and let her get the credit.

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Tbh, I bet it wasn't her who found it. I bet her dad and the other "enthusiast" found it but decided to be nice and let her get the credit.

This is demeaning in my opinion.. She very well could of found it.

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They obviously don't have cable tv.

Good for them. The trash that is aired on TV these days just make people dumb. She must be very proud, it's not everyday that a person so young is credited with such a cool find.

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Good for them. The trash that is aired on TV these days just make people dumb. She must be very proud, it's not everyday that a person so young is credited with such a cool find.

agreed agreed agreed

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Tbh, I bet it wasn't her who found it. I bet her dad and the other "enthusiast" found it but decided to be nice and let her get the credit.

yeah thought so too :D

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