Supernova Birth Seen for First Time (IMAGE) Carnegie Institution for Science Caption On January 9, 2008, NASA's Swift observatory caught a bright X-ray burst from an exploding star. Carnegie-Princeton fellows Alicia Soderberg and Edo Berger were on hand to witness this first-of-its-kind event. A few days later, SN 2008D appeared in visible light. Credit Image courtesy NASA/Swift Science Team/Stefan Immler Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.