SN 2026ahvu in NGC 1433 May Be a Prompt Type Ia Supernova with a Delay Time Under 100 Myr
Abstract
SN 2026ahvu is a Type Ia supernova (SN) that occurred in the nearby galaxy NGC 1433. Using archival Hubble and JWST imaging from the PHANGS survey, we show that the SN lies within 0.19'' and 0.26'' of two UV-bright star clusters. This $0.19/0.26''$ separation corresponds to 8/11 pc (17/24 pc) at the reported distances of $9.1$ and $18.9$ Mpc, respectively. The probability of finding an unrelated Type Ia SN this close to a cataloged star cluster by chance is only ∼0.4 %. Thus, SN 2026ahvu is likely the first Type Ia SN that can be associated with relatively young star clusters in a nearby galaxy. From spectral energy distribution fitting using HST+JWST (or HST-only) data, we find that the clusters have age estimates of 37−5+3 (57−9+14) Myr and 95−13+15 (88−12+14) Myr. Association with either cluster would mean that SN 2026ahvu should be considered a prompt SN Ia and provide one of the most concrete measurements to date of a prompt Ia delay time. The median age of the younger star cluster is close to the minimum possible delay time for SN Ia progenitors. If the SN is indeed associated with the younger cluster, it would imply that Type Ia SNe can occur almost immediately after white dwarf formation. If the SN is associated with the older cluster, this discovery still presents the first example of a prompt Type Ia SN with delay time under 100 Myr.
Related
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BibTeX
@misc{sarbadhicary20262026ahvu,
title = {{SN 2026ahvu in NGC 1433 May Be a Prompt Type Ia Supernova with a Delay Time Under 100 Myr}},
author = {Sumit K. Sarbadhicary and Kiana Henny and Adam Leroy and Karin Sandstrom and Kirsten L. Larson and David A. Thilker and Gagandeep S. Anand and Ashley T. Barnes and Laura A. Lopez and Daniel Maschmann and Marco Troncoso and Hwihyun Kim and Janice C. Lee and Frank Bigiel and Médéric Boquien and Rupali Chandar and Ryan Chown and Daniel A. Dale and Sinan Deger and Oleg V. Egorov and Simon C. O. Glover and Oleg Y. Gnedin and Jay González Lobos and Hao He and Rebecca J. Houghton and Debosmita Pathak and M. Jimena Rodriguez and Eva Schinnerer and Michael Tucker and Tony D. Weinbeck and Thomas G. Williams and Bradley C. Whitmore and Leonardo Ubeda},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.09875},
eprint = {2611.09875},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.09875},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - SN 2026ahvu in NGC 1433 May Be a Prompt Type Ia Supernova with a Delay Time Under 100 Myr
AU - Sumit K. Sarbadhicary
AU - Kiana Henny
AU - Adam Leroy
AU - Karin Sandstrom
AU - Kirsten L. Larson
AU - David A. Thilker
AU - Gagandeep S. Anand
AU - Ashley T. Barnes
AU - Laura A. Lopez
AU - Daniel Maschmann
AU - Marco Troncoso
AU - Hwihyun Kim
AU - Janice C. Lee
AU - Frank Bigiel
AU - Médéric Boquien
AU - Rupali Chandar
AU - Ryan Chown
AU - Daniel A. Dale
AU - Sinan Deger
AU - Oleg V. Egorov
AU - Simon C. O. Glover
AU - Oleg Y. Gnedin
AU - Jay González Lobos
AU - Hao He
AU - Rebecca J. Houghton
AU - Debosmita Pathak
AU - M. Jimena Rodriguez
AU - Eva Schinnerer
AU - Michael Tucker
AU - Tony D. Weinbeck
AU - Thomas G. Williams
AU - Bradley C. Whitmore
AU - Leonardo Ubeda
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.09875
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.09875
AB - SN 2026ahvu is a Type Ia supernova (SN) that occurred in the nearby galaxy NGC 1433. Using archival Hubble and JWST imaging from the PHANGS survey, we show that the SN lies within 0.19'' and 0.26'' of two UV-bright star clusters. This $0.19/0.26''$ separation corresponds to 8/11 pc (17/24 pc) at the reported distances of $9.1$ and $18.9$ Mpc, respectively. The probability of finding an unrelated Type Ia SN this close to a cataloged star cluster by chance is only ∼0.4 %. Thus, SN 2026ahvu is likely the first Type Ia SN that can be associated with relatively young star clusters in a nearby galaxy. From spectral energy distribution fitting using HST+JWST (or HST-only) data, we find that the clusters have age estimates of 37_−5^+3 (57_−9^+14) Myr and 95_−13^+15 (88_−12^+14) Myr. Association with either cluster would mean that SN 2026ahvu should be considered a prompt SN Ia and provide one of the most concrete measurements to date of a prompt Ia delay time. The median age of the younger star cluster is close to the minimum possible delay time for SN Ia progenitors. If the SN is indeed associated with the younger cluster, it would imply that Type Ia SNe can occur almost immediately after white dwarf formation. If the SN is associated with the older cluster, this discovery still presents the first example of a prompt Type Ia SN with delay time under 100 Myr.
ER -