is this a foreground star or a super nova?

• by kymbo64

  Can someone please settle an argument between my friend and I - in the bottom right is this a foreground star or is it a super nova as the brightness of the 'blob' is as greater if not greater then that of the galaxy center. And there are none of the distortions that we see on other stars?

  Posted February 24, 2013 12:53 PM

• by ElisabethB moderator

  I'm assuming you mean the object that appears to be in the bottom arm of the central spiral : That is definitely a foreground star from our galaxy.
  Only very bright stars have diffraction spikes.
  Hope this helps

  Posted February 24, 2013 1:04 PM

• by vrooje admin, scientist

  Indeed, the yellowish object at about the 5:00 position relative to the galaxy is a star.

  However, the white source right in the middle of the galaxy looks to me like an unobscured AGN. According to SkyServer, it's also a radio source.

  Posted February 24, 2013 6:19 PM