# List of supernovae

A supernova is an event in which a star destroys itself in an explosion which can briefly become as luminous as an entire galaxy. This list of supernovae of historical significance includes events that were observed prior to the development of photography, and individual events that have been the subject of a scientific paper that contributed to supernova theory.

## List of supernovae

In most entries, the year when the supernova was seen is part of the designation (1st column).
| Supernova designation (year) | Constellation | Observations | Apparent magnitude | Distance (light years) | Type | Galaxy | Comments |
| SN 185 | Centaurus | 7 December 185 | −4 (?) | 9,100 | Ia (?) | Milky Way | Surviving description sketchy; modern estimates of maximum apparent magnitude vary from +4 to −8. The remnant is probably RCW 86, some 8200 ly distant, making it comparable to SN 1572. Some researchers have suggested it was a comet, not a supernova. |
| SN 386 | Sagittarius | April/May 386 | +1.5 | 14,700 | II | Milky Way | "suggested SN", candidate remnant could be G11.2-0.3. There are three suggestions and doubtful if SN at all or classical nova or something else. |
| SN 393 | Scorpius | 27 February − 28 March - 22 October − 19 November 393 | –0 | 3,400 | II/Ib | Milky Way | "possible SN", could also be classical nova or something else |
| SN 1006 | Lupus | 17 April 1006 - 1 May 1006 | –7.5 | 7,200 | Ia | Milky Way | Widely observed on Earth; in apparent magnitude, the brightest stellar event in recorded history. |
| SN 1054 | Taurus | c. 10 July [O.S. c. 4 July] 1054 c. 12 April [O.S. c. 6 April] 1056 | –6 | 6,500 | II | Milky Way | Remnant is the Crab Nebula with its pulsar (neutron star) |
| SN 1181 | Cassiopeia | 4 August 1181 - 6 August 1181 | 0 | 7,100 | sub-luminous Type Iax supernova | Milky Way | Remnant is Pa 30 with its hot stellar remnant |
| SN 1572 | Cassiopeia | November 1572 | –4.0 | 8,000 | Ia | Milky Way | Tycho's Nova |
| SN 1604 | Ophiuchus | 8–9 October 1604 | –3 | 14,000 | Ia | Milky Way | Kepler's Supernova; most recent readily visible supernova within the Milky Way |
| Cas A, c. 1680 | Cassiopeia | 1680 | +5 | 9,000 | IIb | Milky Way | Apparently never visually conspicuous, due to interstellar dust; but the remnant, Cas A, is the brightest extrasolar radio source in the sky |
| G1.9+0.3, cal. 1868 | Sagittarius | 1868 | (visible light masked by dust) | 25,000 | Ia | Milky Way | Located near the Galactic Center; "Posthumously" discovered in 1985; age determined in 2008 |
| SN 1885A | Andromeda | 20 August 1885 | +5.85 | 2,500,000 | Ipec | Andromeda Galaxy | First observation of an extragalactic supernova |
| SN 1895B | Centaurus | 12 December 1895 | +8.0 | 10,900,000 | Ia | NGC 5253 | |
| SN 1909A | Ursa Major | January 1909 | 12.1 | 21,000,000 | | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) | |
| SN 1937C | Canes Venatici | 24 August 1937 | +8.4 | 13,000,000 | Ia | IC 4182 | |
| SN 1939C | Cepheus | 17 July 1939 | +13 | 25,200,000 | I | NGC 6946 (Fireworks Galaxy) | |
| SN 1940B | Coma Berenices | 5 May 1940 | +12.8 | 38,000,000 | II-P | NGC 4725 | |
| SN 1951H | Ursa Major | 1 September 1951 | 17.5 | 21,000,000 | | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) | |
| SN 1961V | Perseus | 11 July 1961 | +12.5 | 30,000,000 | II? | NGC 1058 | Potential supernova impostor |
| SN 1970G | Ursa Major | 30 July 1970 | 12.1 | 21,000,000 | II | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) | |
| SN 1972E | Centaurus | 13 May 1972 | +8.7 | 10,900,000 | Ia | NGC 5253 | Followed for more than a year; became the prototypical Type Ia supernova |
| SN 1983N | Hydra | 3 July 1983 | +11.8 | 15,000,000 | Ib | Messier 83 | First observation of a Type Ib supernova |
| SN 1986J | Andromeda | 21 August 1986 | +18.4 | 30,000,000 | IIn | NGC 891 | Bright in the radio frequency range |
| SN 1987A | Dorado | 1987 | +2.9 | 160,000 | IIpec | Large Magellanic Cloud | Intense radiation reached Earth on February 23, 1987, 7:35:35 UT. Notable for archival photos of progenitor star and detection of supernova neutrinos. Most recent Local Group supernova |
| SN 1993J | Ursa Major | 28 March 1993 | +10.7 | 11,000,000 | IIb | M81 | One of the brightest supernovae in the northern sky since 1954 |
| SN 1994D | Virgo | 7 March 1994 | +15.2 | 50,000,000 | Ia | NGC 4526 | |
| SN 1998bw | Telescopium | 26 April 1998 | ? | 140,000,000 | Ic | ESO 184-G82 | Linked to GRB 980425, which was the first time a gamma-ray burst has been linked to a supernova. |
| SN 1999eh | Lynx | 12 October 1999 | +18.3 +/- 0.3 | 84,000,000 | I | NGC 2770 | First supernovae in this galaxy, where 3 more were detected later. |
| SN 2002bj | Lupus | 2002 | +14.7 | 160,000,000 | IIn | NGC 1821 | AM Canum Venaticorum-type outburst. |
| SN 2002dd | Ursa Major | 2002 | +24.0 | 8,000,000,000 | Ia | anonymous galaxy | Furthest supernova observed through Hubble Deep Field. |
| SN 2003fg | Boötes | 2003 | | 4,000,000,000 | Ia | anonymous galaxy | Also known as the "Champagne supernova" |
| SN 2004dj | Camelopardalis | 31 July 2004 18:15 | | 8,000,000 | II-P | NGC 2403 | NGC 2403 is an outlying member of the M81 Group |
| SN 2005ap | Coma Berenices | 3 March 2005 | | 4,700,000,000 | II | ? | Announced in 2007 to be the brightest supernova up to that point. |
| SN 2005gj | Cetus | 27 September 2005 | | 865,000,000 | Ia/II-n | ? | Notable for having characteristics of both Type Ia and Type IIn. |
| SN 2005gl | Pisces | 5 October 2005 | +16.5 | 200,000,000 | II-n | NGC 266 | Star could be found on old pictures. |
| SN 2006gy | Perseus | 18 September 2006 | +15 | 240,000,000 | IIn $^{(*)}$ | NGC 1260 | Observed by NASA, $^*$with a peak of over 70 days, possibly a new type. |
| SN 2006jc | Lynx | 9 October 2006 | | 77,000,000 | Ibn | UGC 4904 | |
| SN 2007bi | Virgo | Early 2007 | +18.3 | | Ia | anonymous dwarf galaxy | Extremely bright and long-lasting, the first good observational match for the pair-instability supernova model postulated for stars of initial mass greater than 140 solar masses (even better than SN 2006gy). The precursor is estimated at 200 solar masses, similar to the first stars of the early universe. |
| SN 2007uy | Lynx | 31 December 2007 | +16.8 | 84,000,000 | Ibc | NGC 2770 | Got overshadowed by SN 2008D. |
| SN 2008D | Lynx | 9 January 2008 | | 88,000,000 | Ibc | NGC 2770 | First supernova to be observed while it exploded. |
| MENeaC Abell399.3.14.0 | Aries | | +28.7 | 1,000,000,000 (z=0.0613) | Ia | anonymous red globular cluster associated with anonymous red elliptical galaxy in cluster Abell 399 | Observed in 2009. Supernova associated with a globular cluster |
| SN 2009ip | Piscis Austrinus | 2009 | | 66,000,000 | IIn | NGC 7259 | In 2009 classified as supernova. Redesignated as Luminous blue variable (LBV) Supernova impostor. In September 2012 classified as a young type IIn supernova. |
| SN 2010lt | Camelopardalis | 2 January 2011 | +17.0 | 240,000,000 | Ia (sub-luminous) | UGC 3378 | Discovered by 10-year-old girl, the youngest person to discover a supernova. |
| SN 2011fe | Ursa Major | 24 August 2011 | +10.0 | 21,000,000 | Ia | M101 | One of the very few extragalactic supernovae visible in 50mm binoculars. |
| SN 2014J | Ursa Major | Mid January 2014 | +10.5 | 11,500,000 | Ia | M82 | Closest supernova since SN 2004dj in NGC 2403. |
| SN Refsdal | Leo | 11 November 2014 | | 14,400,000,000 | | SP 1149 | It is the first detected multiply-lensed supernova, visible within the field of the galaxy cluster MACS J1149+2223. |
| ASASSN-15ga | Virgo | 1 April 2015 | | 1,000,000,000 | Ia | NGC 4866 | |
| ASASSN-15lh SN 2015L | Indus | 14 June 2015 | +16.9 | 3,800,000,000 | Ic | APMUKS(BJ) B215839.70−615403.9 | Most luminous hypernova ever observed. |
| IPTF14hls | Ursa Major | September 2014 | +17.7 | 509,000,000 | unknown | SDSS J092034.44+504148.7 (possible dwarf galaxy) | Unusual supernova |
| SN 2016aps | Draco | 22 February 2016 | +18.11 | 3,600,000,000 | SLSB-II | ? | Most luminous supernova-like event to date. |
| SN 2017gax | Dorado | 14 August 2017 | | 517,000,000 | I | NGC 1672 | |
| SN 2018gv | Puppis | 15 January 2018 | | 70,000,000 | Ia | NGC 2525 | |
| SN 2018zd | Camelopardalis | 2 March 2018 | +17.8 | 70,000,000 | Ia-csm | NGC 2146 | First electron capture supernova ever detected |
| SN 2019hgp | Boötes | | +20.16 | 920,000,000 | Icn | | First detected supernova of a Wolf-Rayet star |
| SN 2020fqv | Virgo | 31 March 2020 | +19.0 | 59,400,000 | IIb | NGC 4568 | Earliest known observation of an explosion, 26 hours after |
| SN 2020tlf | Boötes | 2020 | +15.89 | 120,000,000 | IIn | NGC 5731 | First red supergiant observed before, during and after explosion; earliest known observation, at 130 days before explosion |
| SN 2021yja | Eridanus | 8 September 2021 | | 750,000,000 | II | NGC 1325 | |
| SN 2021afdx | Sculptor | 23 November 2021 | 18.8 | 5,000,000,000 | II | Cartwheel Galaxy | |
| SN 2022jli | Cetus | 5 May 2022 | +14 | 75,000,000 | type I-c | NGC 157 | Type Ic, shows periodicity |
| SN 2022aajn | Gemini | November 2022 | | 600,000,000 | Ia | | |
| SN 2023ixf | Ursa Major | 19 May 2023 17:27 | +10.8 | 21,000,000 | type II-L | Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) | Closest and brightest supernova since SN 2014J |
| SN 2023rve | Fornax | 8 September 2023 | +13.9 | 450,000,000 | II | NGC 1097 | Brightest Supernova Since SN 2023ixf. |
| SN 2023vyl | Pegasus | 28 October 2023 | | 783,000,000 | Ia | NGC 7625 | |
| SN 2023abdg | Grus | 12 December 2023 | | 816,000,000 | II | NGC 7421 | |
| SN 2023ufx | | | +15.55 | | II | | The most metal-poor supernova found to date. |

## Supernova statistics

Yearly extragalactic supernovae reported :
| Year | Total | Type I | Type II | LBV (imposters) | Brighter than apmag 13 | Apmag of brightest Supernova of that year |
| 2023 | 19859 | 1430 | 417 | 7 | 2 | 10.9 (2023ixf in Messier 101) |
| 2022 | 21368 | 1732 | 396 | 7 | 4 | 12.3 (2022hrs in NGC 4647) |
| 2021 | 23665 | 1849 | 465 | 5 | 8 | 12.0 (2021aefx in NGC 1566) |
| 2020 | 21775 | 1648 | 451 | 7 | 7 | 11.8 (2020ue in NGC 4636) |
| 2019 | 18767 | 1652 | 485 | 9 | 1 | 13.0 (2019np in NGC 3254) |
| 2018 | 9525 | 1206 | 332 | 7 | 5 | 12.7 (2018pv in NGC 3941) |
| 2017 | 8293 | 746 | 218 | 4 | 3 | 11.5 (2017cbv in NGC 5643) |
| 2016 | 7737 | 681 | 226 | 3 | 0 | 13.0 (2016coj in NGC 4125) |
| 2015 | 4474 | 707 | 214 | 4 | 2 | 12.9 (2015F in NGC 2442) |
| 2014 | 2243 | 528 | 175 | 2 | 3 | 10.1 (2014J in Messier 82) |
| 2013 | 1922 | 498 | 190 | 7 | 6 | 11.3 (2013aa in NGC 5643) |
| 2012 | 1223 | 550 | 152 | 8 | 5 | 11.9 (2012fr in NGC 1365) |
| 2011 | 1129 | 439 | 160 | 10 | 7 | 9.9 (2011fe in Messier 101) |
| 2010 | 931 | 279 | 135 | 7 | 2 | 12.8 (2010ih in NGC 2325) |
| 2009 | 576 | 202 | 137 | 1 | 0 | 13.0 (2009ig in NGC 1015) |
| 2008 | 511 | 251 | 143 | 1 | 3 | 12.4 (2008ge in NGC 1527) |
| 2007 | 605 | 442 | 130 | 1 | 3 | 12.0 (2007it in NGC 5530) |
| 2006 | 558 | 418 | 124 | 2 | 3 | 12.1 (2006dd in NGC 1316) |
| 2005 | 385 | 273 | 94 | 1 | 2 | 12.3 (2005df in NGC 1559) |
| 2004 | 343 | 221 | 79 | 0 | 2 | 11.2 (2004dj in NGC 2403) |
| 2003 | 384 | 198 | 89 | 1 | 1 | 12.3 (2003hv in NGC 1201) |
| 2002 | 353 | 163 | 64 | 0 | 1 | 12.3 (2002ap in Messier 74) |
| 2001 | 310 | 108 | 75 | 0 | 2 | 12.3 (2001e1 in NGC 1448) |
| 2000 | 199 | 76 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 13.1 (2000cx in NGC 528) |
| 2000-2023 | 147135 | 16297 (76.5%) | 5000 (23.5%) | 95 | 72 | |