The field around SN2006aj

Region of the sky around the newly discovered X-ray flash/Supernova SN2006aj. The left image comes from the DSS2 survey and is taken in the red filter. The image was taken prior to the explosion and shows at the position of the flash (circle) the tiny host galaxy. The right image shows the VLT FORS image, showing the presence of a bright object, the flash. It is a colour composite, based on images obtained in the B-, V-, and R-filters. The two panels show the the same region at the same scale.