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	Beyond the Solar System > Cosmology Image Gallery More images » Resources FAQs about Galaxies and Cosmology Astronomy Gift Shop 2009 Sky Almanac McDonald Observatory logo cap The Texas Connection Measuring the Universe Standard Candles May Not Be Supernova 1987A. J. Craig Wheeler and colleagues have discovered new facts about the exploding stars called Type Ia supernovae that could affect big cosmic questions: How old is the universe, how large, and how is it changing over time? Astronomers use these supernovae as "standard candles" to find distances in cosmological studies. Astronomers know, to a certain extent, how truly bright they are. By comparing the intrinsic brightness of a Type Ia supernova to how bright it appears in the sky, astronomers can figure the distance to it and its host galaxy. Wheeler's group found that these supernovae will look different when viewed from different angles. These differences might affect the distance calculations derived from supernovae. This document was last modified: October 19 2009.
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