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SN 2025pht in NGC 1637

An image labeled “SN 2025 p h t in NGC 1637, Hubble W F C 3 2024 + Webb NIRCam 2024.” Most of the image shows a face-on spiral galaxy speckled with myriad blue and red stars. The yellowish core of the galaxy forms a fuzzy oval tilted to the upper right. About halfway from the core to the edge of the image at about 4 o’clock, a small region in one of the galaxy’s spiral arms is outlined with a white box. A shaded, nearly transparent white triangle extends to a pullout at upper right labeled “before explosion,” which shows a magnified image of the area within the box. Short lines form a crosshair that points to a red star at the center. Below this are three more square images, all with crosshairs at the same location. 1) Hubble August 2024, with nothing visible in the crosshairs, 2) Webb October 2024, with a red star in the crosshairs, 3) Hubble July 2025, with a blue supernova in the crosshairs.

The main image at left shows a view of spiral galaxy NGC 1637 from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble's shorter-wavelength data is represented in blue and green, while Webb's longer-wavelength data is represented in green and red. Panels at the right show a detailed view of a red supergiant star before and after it exploded. Before exploding, it is not visible to Hubble, only to Webb. Hubble shows the glowing aftermath in July 2025.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    04:41:28.93
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -02:51:56.22
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Eridanus
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    About 39 million light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is 2.2 arcmin across (about 25,000 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.

    This image was created with Hubble data from proposal 17502 (D. Thilker) and Webb data from proposal: 4793 (E. Schinnerer). 

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    Hubble WFC3/UVIS; Webb NIRCam
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    Hubble: August 2024 and July 2025; Webb: October 2024
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    WFC3/UVIS: F438W, F555W, F814W; NIRCam: F150W, F277W, F444W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    NGC 1637 (SN 2025pht)
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Supernova in a spiral galaxy
  • Release Date
    February 23, 2026
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Telescope Locates Former Star That Exploded as Supernova
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Charles Kilpatrick (Northwestern), Aswin Suresh (Northwestern); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Display), 5500 × 4615
    png (37.42 MB)
  • Full Res (For Print), 5500 × 4615
    tif (43 MB)
  • Full Res (JPG), 5500 × 4615
    jpg (10.8 MB)
  • 2000 × 1678
    jpg (1.91 MB)
An image labeled “SN 2025 p h t in NGC 1637, Hubble W F C 3 2024 + Webb NIRCam 2024.” Most of the image shows a face-on spiral galaxy speckled with myriad blue and red stars. The yellowish core of the galaxy forms a fuzzy oval tilted to the upper right. About halfway from the core to the edge of the image at about 4 o’clock, a small region in one of the galaxy’s spiral arms is outlined with a white box. A shaded, nearly transparent white triangle extends to a pullout at upper right labeled “before explosion,” which shows a magnified image of the area within the box. Short lines form a crosshair that points to a red star at the center. Below this are three more square images, all with crosshairs at the same location. 1) Hubble August 2024, with nothing visible in the crosshairs, 2) Webb October 2024, with a red star in the crosshairs, 3) Hubble July 2025, with a blue supernova in the crosshairs.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes using the WFC3 and NIRCam instruments. Several filters were used to sample specific wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are:   Blue=  F438W + F555W, Green = F814W + F150W, Red = F277W + F444W

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Image titled u201cJames Webb Space Telescope, S N 2025 p h t, NGC 1637u201d. The image shows a face-on spiral galaxy speckled with myriad blue and red stars. The yellowish core of the galaxy forms a fuzzy oval tilted to the upper right.

NGC 1637 Compass Image

Image of galaxy NGC 1637 captured by Hubble’s WFC3 and Webb’s NIRCam, with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.

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Details

Last Updated
Feb 23, 2026
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

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