10 Year Old Girl Youngest Person Ever To Discover a Supernova

[Elizabeth Grunewald]

10 Year Old Girl Youngest Person Ever To Discover a Supernova

According to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the youngest person to discover a supernova is a 10 year old girl from New Brunswick.

Kathryn Gray is ten years old, has three siblings, and is an amateur astronomer. She can now also claim to be the youngest person ever to discover a supernova. She scans the night skies with her father, former astronomy technician Paul Gray, and from their home in New Brunswick, the two of them identified a stellar explosion 240 million light years from Earth, in "galaxy UGC 3378 in the constellation of Camelopardalis," according to the Globe and Mail.

The pair were sitting at their home computer, looking at images taken from a telescope in Halifax and sent to them for observation. Both father and daughter noticed the white spot, and commissioned a photograph of the same spot a few hours later, to confirm the spot wasn't an asteroid or comet, just passing through. Once confirmed, the Grays ensured the supernova had not yet been identified.

Kathryn was asked to describe her discovery, and she kept it simple: "It's just a really old star, really old. So, it just blows up," reports the Globe and Mail. When news of her discovery began to spread, adults around her began assuming a career in space travel. The Globe and Mail quotes Kathryn as replying she isn't interested, saying, "Looking from the Earth is fine. No, I probably will not go up there."

Source: Gawker [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/nb-girl-10-youngest-person-to-discover-a-supernova/article1856411/]

(Image [http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/pr1999019i/])

Permalink

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

Pretty cute kid. I never showed much interest in the stars. They are pretty. that's about it

 

[Evilsanta]

Well il be damned. Lucky kid. Beign able to brag about that.

Still congratulations.

 

[Tipsy Giant]

What ten year old doesn't want to travel through space?

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

That quote is the perfect way of describing a supernova. I wish I could have a claim to fame like that, to be able to say you were the first person to see a supernova would be amazing. And to be ten when you can say it would just make it even better.

 

[GrinningManiac]

That's A-Grade argument fodder in her later life

"Is too!"
"Isn't!"
"Oh yeah? You think you're so smart?"
"S'matter of fact - I do!"
"Well I discovered a SUPERNOVA ... and I was only TEN"
*Jaw drops*

 

[Kris015]

Kids these days..

 

[Baldry]

What ten year old doesn't want to travel through space?

Exactly! Silly child! Awesome story...silly child...

 

[spectrenihlus]

This article freaked me out after reading about Hypernovas yesterday. I am glad said supernova is in another galaxy. Kudos to the girl for discovering the supernova although I am a litle ticked that she wasn't looking at the stars through a telescope at 4:00 in the morning and instead just looked at pictures sent to her dad from a multimillion dollar piece of machinery. Still kudos to the girl and I wish I could discover something like that, unless it is within striking distance of earth then someone else can take the blame for that one.

 

[spectrenihlus]

That's A-Grade argument fodder in her later life

"Is too!"
"Isn't!"
"Oh yeah? You think you're so smart?"
"S'matter of fact - I do!"
"Well I discovered a SUPERNOVA ... and I was only TEN"
*Jaw drops*

Damnit girl you ever gonna let that one drop.

Of course what happens when she talks to a 10 year old who discovers a black hole.

 

[Outlaw Torn]

Any bets on whether this will be in an upcoming The Big Bang Theory episode to mock Raj? And really, the supernova was co-discovered by a 10 year old and her father. It's like saying a dog discovered penicillin because Alexander Fleming brought his sick puppy to work that day. I'm not bitter or anything. Seriously.

 

[Ranchcroutons]

And really, the supernova was co-discovered by a 10 year old and her father. It's like saying a dog discovered penicillin because Alexander Fleming brought his sick puppy to work that day. I'm not bitter or anything. Seriously.

Yeah I don't wanna be a scrooge but it sorta sounds like that's what happened. I mean without the father she probably would have just shrugged it off and know one would have ever known.

 

[GrinningManiac]

That's A-Grade argument fodder in her later life

"Is too!"
"Isn't!"
"Oh yeah? You think you're so smart?"
"S'matter of fact - I do!"
"Well I discovered a SUPERNOVA ... and I was only TEN"
*Jaw drops*

Damnit girl you ever gonna let that one drop.

Of course what happens when she talks to a 10 year old who discovers a black hole.

They'd have a fight

...I doubt very much the discoverers of things take on said thing's properties

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I read this today in my local newspaper, pretty awesome I must say.

 

[spectrenihlus]

That's A-Grade argument fodder in her later life

"Is too!"
"Isn't!"
"Oh yeah? You think you're so smart?"
"S'matter of fact - I do!"
"Well I discovered a SUPERNOVA ... and I was only TEN"
*Jaw drops*

Damnit girl you ever gonna let that one drop.

Of course what happens when she talks to a 10 year old who discovers a black hole.

They'd have a fight

...I doubt very much the discoverers of things take on said thing's properties

Lol i didn't mean it like that but that would be hilarious.

 

[GrinningManiac]

That's A-Grade argument fodder in her later life

"Is too!"
"Isn't!"
"Oh yeah? You think you're so smart?"
"S'matter of fact - I do!"
"Well I discovered a SUPERNOVA ... and I was only TEN"
*Jaw drops*

Damnit girl you ever gonna let that one drop.

Of course what happens when she talks to a 10 year old who discovers a black hole.

They'd have a fight

...I doubt very much the discoverers of things take on said thing's properties

Lol i didn't mean it like that but that would be hilarious.

It's be the funniest thing ever. Feel sorry for the guy who "discovered" Madagascar

"En Gaurde!" - turns into giant African island

 

[C95J]

That must be a pretty good thing to brag about in the future

 

[Direwolf750]

She's one of us. ONE OF US, ONE OF US, ONE OF US.

seriously though, it's nice to see that someone takes an interest in practical science at such a young age and not for unrealistic reasons.

 

[Milkman Dan]

What's this about her just looking at pictures? Astronomers don't look in their telescopes 24/7 on the remote chance they'll just happen to spot a supernova. That's just not a realistic expectation. Countless discoveries have been made exactly that way, by looking at pictures taken of the nightsky, usually comparing them and noticing differences.