Supernova Found by Super Sharp Teen

Let this serve to remind us of the unbridled capacity of the young to seek and to discover, to reveal and to teach. Our scientific understanding of the cosmos has advanced with the insight and attention of one truly inspiring young mind.

New Yorker Caroline Moore spotted something in her telescope back in November of last year, and thought enough of the finding to call it in. With follow-up investigation by researchers around the country, and with the benefit of far more advanced technology than the 14-year-old had at her disposal, Caroline discovered a supernova.

And she becomes the youngest person to have made such a comparable discovery.

Further still, her discovery has been determined to be a particularly unusual and interesting find among supernovas owing to its relative faintness. In fact, it may possibly be the weakest supernova that has ever been observed.

Alex Filippenko, a scientist at University of California, Berkeley and a co-author of a soon-to-be-published paper describing the discovery observes:

"Coincidentally, the youngest person to ever discover a supernova found one of the most peculiar and interesting supernovae ever. This shows that no matter what your age, anyone can make a significant contribution to our understanding of the Universe."

Caroline's admirers here at Tonic couldn't possibly agree more.