Star explodes as science students stare into space

Science students who were staring onto space during a telescope workshop ended up witnessing an explosion 12 million light years away.

The exploding star was found by students at University College London during a brief 10 minute workshop.

The students chose, a bright and photogenic galaxy as their target, known as M 82, because it was located in one of the few areas of clear sky. The supernova is one of the nearest to be observed in recent decades.