On the nights of September 26 and 29, 2026, student researchers at IUB's Center for Astronomy, Space Science and Astrophysics (CASSA) observed SN2026aaiv, a Type Ia Supernova (SNe Ia) in the galaxy NGC 7331. SNe Ia occurs when white dwarf stars undergo a thermonuclear runway explosion after reaching a critical mass that they gain by accreting matter from a nearby star. Scientists are particularly interested in these events because the brightness of these SNe Ia can be used to calculate distances across the universe.

The observations were part of CASSA's RAFT (Rapid Astronomical Follow-up of Transients) program, which is developing the capacity to systematically track short-lived astronomical events using locally operated instruments and software. Observations were carried out by research assistants Md Shahadat Hossain Shahal and Ahmad Al-Imtiaz, along with intern Alif Ashraful, using an eight-inch reflecting telescope known as CORE Pathfinder. CORE stands for the Campus Observatory for Research and Education, which aims to install an on-campus rooftop observatory equipped with a 14-inch telescope under a 2.5-meter dome.

Dr. Syed Ashraf Uddin, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Sciences at IUB and a core member of CASSA, has been developing the RAFT program and the principal investigator of the CORE program. His research area focuses on Type Ia Supernova Cosmology, and he has spent years studying how these stellar explosions can help scientists measure the expansion of the Universe. Earlier this year, he contributed to a major international study that produced one of the most precise measurements yet of the universe's present expansion rate.

For IUB, this achievement is also part of a larger academic ambition. The university already offers an undergraduate minor in astronomy and astrophysics, the only such program in Bangladesh, and is planning to introduce a master's program in astronomy and astrophysics.

CASSA is also working to establish a permanent astronomical observatory on university-owned land in Kaliakoir, Gazipur – around 55km from Dhaka. The proposed facility, intended to become Bangladesh's first formal research observatory of its kind, will feature a 0.6-metre telescope housed inside a dome, offering substantially greater observational capabilities than the instruments currently operating on campus.

Dr. Khan Muhammad Bin Asad, Director of CASSA and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Sciences at IUB also said, “Bangladesh's geographical location could also offer an advantage to international astronomy. Its position between major observatory networks in different parts of the world creates opportunities to monitor astronomical events during periods when other telescopes cannot observe them.”

The images of SN2026aaiv may not be the first photographs of a Type Ia supernova taken from Bangladesh. What distinguishes this achievement is that they form part of a structured academic research program, supported by trained scientists, specialized instruments and an ambition to develop sustained observational astronomy in the country.

For a nation where professional astronomy remains in its infancy, capturing light from a stellar explosion 45 million light-years away is more than a photograph. It is a step towards building the scientific capacity to study the universe from Bangladesh.

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