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Clear skies permitting, a type 1a supernova exploding in the Pinwheel galaxy 21million light years from Earth will be visible to UK astronomers equipped with a decent pair of binoculars or telescope.

The supernova is the nearest of its kind to be spotted in 40 years, and has scientists very excited because it will enable them to measure astronomical distances and help calculate the expansion of the universe.

The supernova, named PTF11kly, was discovered by a team or British and American astronomers using the Palomar 48-inch Schmidt telescope about five days after the star exploded. A supernova occurs when a dwarf star in a binary star system attracts enough matter from its companion star to reach critical mass. Runaway fusion occurs under the intense heat and pressure at the centre, and the star is literally blown apart.

The supernova is getting brighter each night and will peak on the night of the 9 September, appearing on the edge of one of the Pinwheel galaxy's spiral arms. Under clear skies, the supernova can be found by looking first for the Plough (also called Ursa Major or the Big Dipper) in the sky immediately after sunset. The "handle" of the Plough has three stars. "As you look at the sky, draw an imaginary line through the second and third stars in the handle and follow that line up and left. The supernova is four degrees along, or around the distance taken up by five full moons in the sky," said Dr Mark Sullivan, an astrophysics research fellow at Oxford University.

"For many people it could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a supernova of this kind blossom and then fade before their eyes; we may not see another one like it for another 40, or perhaps over 100 years," Sullivan said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper.

You can find out more information on the National Space Centre Space blog.