A brand-new supernova, caught two days after discovery. SN 2026sqf was discovered on July 8, 2026 by Patrick Wiggins in NGC 3310, and quickly classified as a Type II — the core collapse of a massive star that has run out of fuel. At capture it was shining around magnitude 13, remarkably bright for a supernova, sitting as a distinct point of light about half an arcminute from the galaxy's nucleus, just outside the bright disk.

The host, NGC 3310 (Arp 217), is a grand-design starburst spiral in Ursa Major, roughly 50 million light-years away — the light from this explosion left before the first grass evolved on Earth. Its furious star formation, likely triggered by swallowing a satellite galaxy ~100 million years ago, makes it a repeat supernova producer.

These frames were shot in a hurry at sunset on July 10, 2026 — twilight still brightening the sky — as 8 stacked frames through an LRGB chroma filter. Two renders: one labeled with the supernova circled, and a normal processed version.

• Supernova: RA 10h 38m 47.9s, Dec +53° 30′ 34″ (Ursa Major)
• Host galaxy: NGC 3310, RA 10h 38m 45.9s, Dec +53° 30′ 12″
• Optics: Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 (C925)
• Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM (mono), LRGB chroma filter, 8 frames stacked
• Captured: 2026-07-10, at sunset