There is no age restriction on the chance to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the universe. Caroline Moore, a 14-year-old from Warwick, N.Y., has made such a mark on astronomy with the discovery of Supernova 2008ha. Not only is she the youngest person to discover a supernova, but this particular supernova has been identified as a different type of stellar explosion.

“It’s really a strange supernova,” said Moore. “A supernova is a huge explosion deep in the core of a star, whereas a nova is an explosion on the outside surface of a star. Of Supernova 2008ha she says, “It’s somewhere between a supernova and a nova. So it’s not nearly as big as the explosion of a supernova.”

(read more @ redOrbit)