Ammon News - The Jordanian Astronomical Society has captured observations of a newly discovered supernova some 40 million light-years from Earth, documenting the stellar explosion only days after it was first detected.

Known as "SN 2026aaiv", the supernova appeared in the spiral galaxy "NGC 7331" in the constellation Pegasus and was observed from Jordan Saturday night.

Jordanian Astronomical Society President Ammar Sakaji said the supernova was first detected on Sept. 1 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey, when it had an apparent magnitude of about 17.3.

It brightened considerably over the following days to approach magnitude 14, allowing observations from Jordan to capture a relatively early stage in the evolution of the explosion.

Sakaji said the light detected from northern Amman had traveled roughly 40 million years before reaching Earth, meaning the stellar explosion itself occurred around 40 million years ago.

"SN 2026aaiv" has been classified as a Type Ia supernova, a class of stellar explosions that plays an important role in astronomy. Because of their predictable luminosity, Type Ia supernovae are used as "standard candles" to determine cosmic distances and help scientists study the expansion of the universe.

The society plans to continue observing the supernova over the coming nights to track changes in its brightness and contribute data from Jordan to observations being compiled by astronomers worldwide.