This is a list of supernova candidates, or stars that are believed to soon become supernovae. Type II supernova progenitors include stars with at least 8~10 solar masses that are in the final stages of their evolution. Prominent examples of stars in this mass range include Antares, Spica,[1] Gamma Velorum,[2] Mu Cephei, and members of the Quintuplet Cluster.[3] Type Ia supernova progenitors are white dwarf stars that are close to the Chandrasekhar limit of about 1.44 solar masses and are accreting matter from a binary companion star.
The list includes massive Wolf–Rayet stars, which may become Type Ib/Ic supernovae, particularly oxygen-sequence (Wolf-Rayet WO) stars. As of 2023, most of these candidates are in the Milky Way galaxy, however five oxygen-sequence Wolf-Rayet stars are also known in other galaxies.
Identifier | Epoch J2000 | Constellation | Distance (light-years) |
Spectral class |
Possible supernova
type |
Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. A. | Dec. | ||||||
IK Pegasi | 21h 26m 26.7s | +19° 22′ 32″ | Pegasus | 154.4±1.0[4] | A8m:/DA | Ia | [5][6][7] |
Spica | 13h 25m 11.6s | −11° 09′ 40.8″ | Virgo | 250+14 −13[8] |
B1 | [7] | |
Bellatrix | 05h 25m 07.86s | +06° 20′ 58.9″ | Orion | 250 | B2III[9]-V[10] | [11] | |
Mimosa | 12h 47m 43.3s | -59h 41m 19.6s | Crux | 280 | B0.5III+B2V[12][13] | [14] | |
Acrux | 12h 26m 35.9s | -63h 05m 56.7s | Crux | 321[8] | B0.5IV+B1V[15] | [16] | |
Adhara | 06h 58m 37.6s | –28° 58′ 19″ | Canis Major | 430±30[17] | B2 II | [18] | |
Betelgeuse | 05h 55m 10.3s | +07° 24′ 25″ | Orion | 408[19]–548+90 −49[20] |
M2Iab | IIP | [1][21][7][22] |
Alpha Lupi | 14h 41m 55.8s | –47° 23′ 17″ | Lupus | 465+12 −11[8] |
B1.5 | II | [23][7] |
Mirzam | 06h 22m 42.0s | –17° 57′ 21″ | Canis Major | 490±20[24] | B1 III | [25] | |
Lambda Velorum | 09h 07m 59.8s | −43° 25′ 57.3″ | Vela | 545 ± 10[8] | K4Ib | Electron capture | [26] |
Antares | 16h 29m 24.5s | –26° 25′ 55″ | Scorpius | 554+113 −80[8] |
M1.5Iab-b | IIP | [27][7][22] |
Epsilon Pegasi | 21h 44m 11.2s | 09° 52′ 30″ | Pegasus | 690±20[8] | K2Ib-II | [22] | |
Pi Puppis | 07h 17m 08.56s | −37° 05′ 50.9″ | Puppis | 810±70 | K3Ib | [22] | |
Rigel | 05h 14m 32.3s | –08° 12′ 06″ | Orion | 863±78[8] | B8Ia | IIn(pec?) | [28][7] |
Gamma2 Velorum | 08h 09m 32.0s | −47° 20′ 12″ | Vela | 1120+130 −100[8] |
WC8+O7.5III | Ib/Ic | [29] |
Sigma Canis Majoris | 07h 01m 43.1s | −27° 56′ 05″ | Canis Major | 1120 | K4III | [22] | |
Epsilon Aurigae | 05h 01m 58.1s | 43° 49′ 23.9″ | Auriga | 1350±350 | F0Iab | [30] | |
Delta Canis Majoris | 07h 08m 23.5s | −26° 23′ 35.5″ | Canis Major | 1600 | F8Ia | [31] | |
NS Puppis | 08h 11m 21.5s | −39° 37′ 06.8″ | Puppis | 1695[22] | K4.5Ib | [22] | |
119 Tauri | 05h 32m 12.8s | +18° 35′ 40″ | Taurus | 1790+300 −220[32] |
M2Iab-Ib | [22][33] | |
3 Ceti | 00h 04m 30.1s | −10° 30′ 34.3″ | Cetus | 2086[22] | K3Ib | [22] | |
Alpha Leporis | 05h 32m 43.8s | −17° 49′ 20.2″ | Lepus | 2218[8] | F0Ib[34] | [35] | |
Deneb | 20h 41m 25.9s | +45° 16′ 49″ | Cygnus | 2615 ± 215[36] | A2la | Ib/Ic | [37] |
T Coronae Borealis | 15h 59m 30.2s | +25° 55′ 13″ | Corona Borealis | 2690+110 −100[4] |
M3III/D | Ia | [38] |
KPD 1930+2752 | 19h 32m 14.9s | +27° 58′ 35″ | Cygnus | 2860+130 −120[4] |
sdB/D | Ia | [39][40] |
Mu Cephei | 21h 43m 30.5s | +58° 46′ 48″ | Cepheus | 3060+456 −130[41] |
M2Ia | IIn/IIb | [42] |
Rho Cassiopeiae | 23h 54m 23.0s | +57° 29′ 58″ | Cassiopeia | 3440+930 −610[4] |
G2Ia0e | IIL | [43] |
VY Canis Majoris | 07h 22m 58.3s | −25° 46′ 03″ | Canis Major | 3930+420 −350[44] |
M5eIa | II | [21][45] |
IRAS 17163-3907 | 17h 19m 49.3s | −39° 10′ 37.9″ | Scorpius | 3930+990 −660[4] |
late B/early A | II | [46] |
VV Cephei | 21h 56m 39.1s | +63° 37′ 32″ | Cepheus | 4900[47] | M2Iab | [48] | |
HD 168625 | 18h 21m 19.5s | −16° 22′ 26″ | Sagittarius | 5250+600 −490[4] |
B6Ia | II | [49] |
NML Cygni | 20h 46m 25.6s | +40° 06′ 59.4″ | Cygnus | 5250+420 −360[50] |
M6I | II | [51] |
WR 142 | 20h 21m 44.34s | +37° 22′ 30.4″ | Cygnus | 5380 | WO2 | Ic, Grb likely | |
IRC +10420 | 19h 26m 48.1s | +11° 21′ 17″ | Aquila | 5600+2200 −1200[4] |
F8Ia+ | IIb | [52][53] |
RS Ophiuchi | 17h 50m 13.2s | –06° 42′ 28″ | Ophiuchus | 7380+1000 −790[4] |
M2III/D | Ia | [54][55] |
WR 93b | 17h 32m 03.31s | –35° 04′ 32.7″ | Scorpius | 7470 | WO3 | Ic | |
WR 2 | 01h 05m 23.03s | +60° 25′ 18.9″ | Cassiopeia | 7830 | WN2-w | Ib/Ic, Grb likely | |
WR 102 | 17h 45m 47.54s | –26° 10′ 26.8″ | Sagittarius | 8610 | WO2 | Ic | |
Eta Carinae | 10h 45m 03.6s | −59° 41′ 04″ | Carina | 8630+69 −68[4] |
LBV/O | Ib, SLSN likely | [56][57] |
HD 179821 | 19h 13m 58.6s | +00° 07′ 32″ | Aquila | 10500+2100 −1500[4] |
G5Ia | IIL | [58][59] |
T Pyxidis | 09h 04m 41.5s | −32° 22′ 48″ | Pyxis | 10700+1700 −1300[4] |
Ia | [60][61] | |
WR 104 | 18h 02m 04.1s | –23° 37′ 41″ | Sagittarius | 13400+9200 −3900[4] |
WC9d/OB | Ib/Ic with Grb? | [62][63] |
V445 Puppis | 07h 37m 56.9s | –25° 56′ 59″ | Puppis | 16000+5200 −4600[64] |
Ia | [65] | |
WR 38 | 11h 05m 46.43s | −61° 13′ 48.6″ | Carina | 19 700 | WC4 | Ic | |
WR 30a | 10h 51m 38.89s | −60° 56′ 34.9″ | Carina | 21 900 | WO4+O5-5.5 | Ic | |
Sher 25 | 11h 15m 07.8s | −61° 15′ 17″ | Carina | 43500+5200 −4200[4] |
B1.5Iab | [66] | |
U Scorpii | 16h 22m 30.7s | –17° 52′ 42″ | Scorpius | 64000+68000 −17000[67] |
Ia | [68] |