Tag Archive for 'Supernova'

An artist’s impression of a massive binary system. Image credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser / S.E. de Mink.

Astronomers Find Population of Stripped Helium Stars in Magellanic Clouds

Dec 14, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Removing the hydrogen-rich layers from a main sequence star exposes the helium-rich core. Such stripped helium stars are known at high and low masses,...

The merger of two neutron stars is among the leading candidate sites for synthesizing the heavier elements on the periodic table through the r-process. Image credit: Matthew Mumpower, Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Ancient Stars were Capable of Producing Elements with Atomic Masses Greater than 260, Scientists Say

Dec 11, 2023 by News Staff

The rapid neutron capture process, or the so-called r-process, occurs in neutron-rich environments such as neutron star mergers or certain types of supernovae....

This high-definition image from Webb’s NIRCam instrument unveils intricate details of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A; it shows the expanding shell of material slamming into the gas shed by the star before it exploded. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / D. Milisavljevic, Purdue University / T. Temim, Princeton University / I. De Looze, University of Gent.

Webb Captures Stunning New Image of Cassiopeia A

Dec 11, 2023 by News Staff

Objects in space reveal different aspects of their composition and behavior at different wavelengths of light. A supernova remnant called Cassiopeia A...

This Hubble image shows NGC 941, an intermediate spiral galaxy some 55 million light-years away in the constellation of Cetus. The color image is made up of observations from Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) in the near-infrared and optical parts of the spectrum. Two filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Kilpatrick.

Hubble Spies Hazy-Looking Spiral Galaxy: NGC 941

Nov 6, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have captured a beautiful new image of the intermediate spiral galaxy NGC 941. This Hubble image...

This Hubble image shows IC 1776, a barred spiral galaxy some 150 million light-years away in the constellation of Pisces. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) snapped IC 1776 at a wide range of visible, and near-infrared wavelengths. Two filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Filippenko.

Hubble Space Telescope Spies Stunning Spiral Galaxy

Sep 4, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features IC 1776, a barred spiral galaxy that hosted a supernova explosion about eight years ago. This...

This image of SNR 1987A was taken with Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera. At the center, material ejected from the supernova forms a keyhole shape. Just to its left and right are faint crescents newly discovered by Webb. Beyond them an equatorial ring, formed from material ejected tens of thousands of years before the supernova explosion, contains bright hot spots. Exterior to that is diffuse emission and two faint outer rings. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / M. Matsuura, Cardiff University / R. Arendt, NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center & University of Maryland, Baltimore County / C. Fransson.

Webb Focuses on Supernova 1987A Remnant

Aug 31, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have begun the study of SNR 1987A, one of the most renowned supernova remnants. This image...

In a few million years, HD 45166 will explode as a very bright, but not particularly energetic, supernova. During this explosion, its core will contract, trapping and concentrating the star’s already daunting magnetic field lines. The result will be a neutron star with a magnetic field far greater than its progenitor. Image credit: NOIRLab / AURA / NSF / P. Marenfeld / M. Zamani.

Highly Unusual Wolf-Rayet Star Will Evolve into Magnetar, Astronomers Say

Aug 17, 2023 by News Staff

Using spectropolarimetric data gathered by various telescopes around the globe, astronomers from the University of Amsterdam and elsewhere have identified...

Hubble image of NGC 6946, the host galaxy of both SNe 2004et and 2017eaw. Bottom left-hand panel: composite image of SN 2004et taken with Webb/MIRI. Bottom right-hand panel: composite image of SN 2017eaw taken with Webb/MIRI. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Ori Fox, STScI / Melissa Shahbandeh, STScI / Alyssa Pagan, STScI.

Webb Observes Dust Reservoirs in Two Type IIP Supernovae

Jul 6, 2023 by News Staff

The dust reservoirs observed in two type IIP supernovae, SN 2004et and SN 2017eaw, both in the medium-sized, face-on spiral galaxy NGC 6946 about 22 million...

This Hubble image shows UGC 11860, a spiral galaxy located some 184 million light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus. The color image is made up of observations from Hubble’s WFC3 camera in the ultraviolet, near-infrared, and optical parts of the spectrum. It is based on data obtained through three filters. The color results from assigning different hues to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / A. Filippenko / J.D. Lyman.

Hubble Space Telescope Looks at Supernova-Hosting Spiral Galaxy

Jul 3, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has delivered an unrivalled snapshot of the spiral galaxy UGC 11860. This Hubble image shows UGC 11860, a spiral galaxy...

SN 2023ixf (lower left) exploded in one of the spiral arms of Messier 101. Image credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. Miller, Gemini Observatory & NSF’s NOIRLab / M. Rodriguez, Gemini Observatory & NSF’s NOIRLab / M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF’s NOIRLab / D. de Martin, NSF’s NOIRLab.

Gemini North Telescope Observes Supernova Explosion in Messier 101

Jun 9, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A supernova dubbed SN 2023ixf was discovered on May 19, 2023 by the Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki. SN 2023ixf (lower left) exploded in one of the...

The very massive first-generation stars with a mass range from 140 to 260 solar masses are predicted to enrich the early interstellar medium through pair-instability supernovae; decades of observational efforts, however, have not been able to uniquely identify the imprints of such very massive stars on the most metal-poor stars in the Milky Way. Image credit: NAOC.

Galactic Halo Star’s Chemical Signature Indicates Existence of Very Massive Stars in Early Universe

Jun 7, 2023 by News Staff

Early Universe’s stars had up to several hundred solar masses. The earliest stars of 140-260 solar masses became pair-instability supernovae (PISNe)....

This OmegaCAM/VST image shows a part of the Vela supernova remnant. Image credit: ESO / VPHAS+ Team / Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit.

OmegaCAM Sees Giant Filaments in Vela Supernova Remnant

May 30, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The new image from the OmegaCAM instrument on ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope shows a spectacular part of the Vela supernova remnant. This OmegaCAM/VST image...

An artist’s rendition of SN 2020eyj, a white dwarf star that went supernova after pulling material from a helium companion star. Image credit: Adam Makarenko / W.M. Keck Observatory.

Astronomers Detect Radio Waves from Type Ia Supernova

May 18, 2023 by News Staff

The detection of the Type Ia supernova SN 2020eyj at radio wavelengths show that the exploded white dwarf had a helium-rich companion. An artist’s rendition...

The enlarged inset view reveals four images of SN Refsdal, spotted in 2014, arranged around a giant elliptical galaxy within the cluster. The light from the supernova passes so closely to the galaxy’s dense core that several light paths are redirected and focused toward Earth. The result is that astronomers see four images that form an Einstein Cross. The blue streaks wrapping around the galaxy are the stretched images of SN Refsdal’s parent spiral galaxy, which has been distorted by the warping of space. Computer models of the cluster predict that another image of the stellar blast will appear within 5 years. The red circle marks the possible location of the next supernova image. Astronomers may have missed an earlier appearance of the supernova in 1995, as marked by the blue circle. These multiple appearances of the exploding star are due to the various paths its light is taking through the maze of clumpy dark matter in the galactic grouping. Each image takes a different route through the cluster and arrives at a different time, due, in part, to differences in the length of the pathways the light follows to reach Earth. Image credit: NASA / ESA / S. Rodney, JHU / FrontierSN team / T. Treu, UCLA / P. Kelly, UC Berkeley / GLASS team / J. Lotz, STScI / Frontier Fields team / M. Postman, STScI / CLASH team / Z. Levay, STScI.

Light from Supernova Refsdal Helps Astronomers Measure Universe’s Expansion Rate

May 17, 2023 by News Staff

The gravitationally lensed Supernova (SN) Refsdal was discovered by University of Minnesota astronomer Patrick Kelly in 2014 in the field of MACS J1149.6+2223,...

This artist’s impression shows a distant gas cloud that contains different chemical elements, illustrated here with schematic representations of various atoms. Image credit: L. Calçada / M. Kornmesser / ESO.

VLT Detects Chemical Signatures of Universe’s First Stars in Distant Gas Clouds

May 4, 2023 by News Staff

Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have detected three distant gas clouds whose chemical composition matches what they expect from the...

Illustration of an Earth-like exoplanet after X-ray radiation exposure. Image credit: NASA / CXC / M. Weiss.

X-Ray-Luminous Supernovae Pose Threat to Earth-Like Planetary Atmospheres, Study Says

Apr 20, 2023 by News Staff

The aftermaths of supernovae always produce X-rays, but if the supernova’s blast wave strikes dense surrounding gas, it can produce a particularly large...

This image of the Crab Nebula combines data from IXPE in magenta and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in dark purple. Image credit: IXPE / NASA / Chandra / CXC / SAO / K. Arcand / L. Frattare.

IXPE Observes Crab Nebula and Its Pulsar

Apr 11, 2023 by News Staff

Located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation of Taurus, the Crab Nebula and its pulsar formed in a supernova whose light reached Earth in July 1054. This...

This new image from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) shows Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant located about 11,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / D.D. Milisavljevic, Purdue University / T. Temim, Princeton University / I. De Looze, Ghent University / J. DePasquale, STScI.

Webb Shows Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A in New Light

Apr 10, 2023 by News Staff

A new mid-infrared image from the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) onboard the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope shows the supernova remnant Cassiopeia...

This Hubble image shows UGC 2890, a small spiral galaxy some 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Camelopardalis. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Kilpatrick.

Hubble Snaps Breathtaking New Image of UGC 2890

Apr 3, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have produced a beautiful image of the side-on spiral galaxy UGC 2890. This Hubble image shows UGC 2890, a small spiral...

ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray observatory recorded 20 dust rings, 19 of which are shown here in arbitrary colors. The image merges observations made two and five days after GRB 221009A erupted. Dark stripes indicate gaps between the detectors. A detailed analysis shows that the widest ring visible here, comparable to the apparent size of a full Moon, came from dust clouds located about 1,300 light-years away. The innermost ring arose from dust at a distance of 61,000 light-years -- on the other side of our Galaxy. Image credit: ESA / XMM-Newton / M. Rigoselli, INAF.

Astronomers Capture Reverse Shock Emission from Record-Breaking Gamma-Ray Burst

Mar 28, 2023 by News Staff

Astronomers have provided vital information in the global effort to understand GRB 221009A, one of the nearest and possibly the most-energetic gamma-ray...

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