supernova Archives

November 8, 2024November 8, 2024 by Evan Gough

A Star Disappeared in Andromeda, Replaced by a Black Hole

This Illustration shows a failed supernova turning directly into a black hole without an explosion. Credit: NASA/ESA/P. Jeffries (STScI)

Massive stars about eight times more massive than the Sun explode as supernovae at the end of their lives. The explosions, which leave behind a black hole or a neutron star, are so energetic they can outshine their host galaxies for months. However, astronomers appear to have spotted a massive star that skipped the explosion and turned directly into a black hole.

October 31, 2024October 31, 2024 by Brian Koberlein

Learning More About Supernovae Through Stardust

Illustration of Supernova 1987A based on observations by ALMA. Credit: Alexandra Angelich (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Most of the diverse elements in the Universe come from supernovae. We are, quite literally, made of the dust of those long-dead stars and other astrophysical processes. But the details of how it all comes about are something astronomers strive to understand. How do the various isotopes produced by supernovae drive the evolution of planetary systems? Of the various types of supernovae, which play the largest role in creating the elemental abundances we see today? One way astronomers can study these questions is to look at presolar grains.

October 28, 2024October 28, 2024 by Evan Gough

This Ancient Supernova Remnant Looks Like a Stellar Dandelion

An artist’s concept of a supernova remnant called Pa 30—the leftover remains of a supernova explosion that was witnessed from Earth in the year 1181. Unusual filaments of sulfur protrude beyond a dusty shell of ejected material. The remains of the original star that exploded, now a hot inflated star which may cool to become a white dwarf, are seen at the center of the remnant. The Keck Cosmic Web Imager (KCWI) at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawai‘i has mapped the strange filaments in 3-D and shown that they are flying outward at approximately 1,000 kilometers per second. Image Credit: W.M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko

In 1181, Japanese and Chinese astronomers saw a bright light appear in the constellation Cassiopeia. It shone for six months, and those ancient observers couldn’t have known it was an exploding star. To them, it looked like some type of temporary star that shone for 185 days.

In the modern astronomical age, we’ve learned a lot more about the object. It was a supernova called SN 1181 AD, and we know that it left behind a remnant “zombie” star. New research examines the supernova’s aftermath and the strange filaments of gas it left behind.

October 25, 2024October 25, 2024 by Matt Williams

Webb Finds Dozens of Supernovae Remnants in the Triangulum Galaxy

M33, the Triangulum Spiral Galaxy, seen here in a 4.3 hour exposure image. Astronomers used JWST to examine a section of its south spiral arm to search out and find nearly 800 newly forming stars. Credit and copyright: John Chumack.

Infrared astronomy has revealed so much about the Universe, ranging from protoplanetary disks and nebulae to brown dwarfs, aurorae, and volcanoes on together celestial bodies. Looking to the future, astronomers hope to conduct infrared studies of supernova remnants (SNRs), which will provide vital information about the physics of these explosions. While studies in the near-to-mid infrared (NIR-MIR) spectrum are expected to provide data on the atomic makeup of SNRs, mid-to-far IR (MIR-FIR) studies should provide a detailed look at heated dust grains they eject into the interstellar medium (ISM).

Unfortunately, these studies have been largely restricted to the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds due to the limits of previous IR observatories. However, these observational regimes are now accessible thanks to next-generation instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In a recent study, a team led by researchers from Ohio State University presented the first spatially resolved infrared images of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Triangulum Galaxy (a.k.a. Messier 33). Their observations allowed them to acquire images of 43 SNRs, thanks to the unprecedented sensitivity and resolution of Webb’s IR instruments.

September 24, 2024September 24, 2024 by Evan Gough

How a Nearby Supernova Left its Mark on Earth Life

Artist's impression of a supernova. Supernovae bombarded Earth with radiation that has implications for the development of life on Earth. Image Credit: NASA

When a massive star explodes as a supernova, it does more than release an extraordinary amount of energy. Supernovae explosions are responsible for creating some of the heavy elements, including iron, which is blasted out into space by the explosion. On Earth, there are two accumulations of the iron isotope Fe60 in sea-floor sediments that scientists trace back about two or three million years ago and about five to six million years ago.

The explosions that created the iron also dosed Earth with cosmic radiation.

July 16, 2024July 16, 2024 by Andy Tomaswick

Only Hubble Could Make this Measurement of a Supernova

Calculating the distance to far-away objects, such as galaxy clusters and quasars, is difficult. But it is also critical to our understanding of how the universe evolves. Luckily, humanity has a trusty workhorse that has been collecting data for such calculations for decades—Hubble. It is by far the best telescope suited to the job, as described by a recent NASA press release about a distance measurement to a supernova in a nearby galaxy.

June 29, 2024June 30, 2024 by Laurence Tognetti

Supernovae: Why study them? What can they teach us about finding life beyond Earth?

Artist’s illustration of a bright and powerful supernova explosion. (Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)

Universe Today has recently investigated a myriad of scientific disciplines, including impact craters, planetary surfaces, exoplanets, astrobiology, solar physics, comets, planetary atmospheres, planetary geophysics, cosmochemistry, meteorites, radio astronomy, extremophiles, organic chemistry, black holes, cryovolcanism, planetary protection, and dark matter, and what they can teach us about how we got here, where we’re going, and whether we might find life elsewhere in the universe.

Here, Universe Today discusses the explosive field of supernovae—plural for supernova—with Dr. Joseph Lyman, who is an assistant professor in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the University of Warwick, regarding the importance of studying supernovae, the benefits and challenges, the most intriguing aspects about supernovae he’s studied throughout his career, what supernovae can teach us about finding life beyond Earth, and any advice he can offer upcoming students who wish to pursue studying supernovae. Therefore, what is the importance of studying supernovae?

June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 by Mark Thompson

Something’s Always Been Off About the Crab Nebula. Webb Has Revealed Why!

Crab Nebula by JWST. The resulting neutron star at its heart spins rapidly and sends out a signal. That makes it a pulsar. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, T. Temim (Princeton University)

The Crab Nebula has always fascinated me, albeit amazed me that it doesn’t look anything like a crab! It’s the result of a star that exploded at the end of its life back in 1054 CE, leaving behind what is known as a supernova remnant. Back then the explosion would have been visible to the naked eye, even in daytime. It was thought that the supernova that led to the cloud was from a less evolved star with a core made from oxygen, neon and magnesium. Recent studies by the James Webb Space Telescope reveals that it may actually be the core collapse of an iron rich star.

June 18, 2024June 18, 2024 by Evan Gough

Earth’s Atmosphere is Our Best Defence Against Nearby Supernovae

Artist's impression of a Type II supernova explosion. These supernova produce gamma rays and powerful ionizing radiation that's hazardous to life. Credit: ESO

Earth’s protective atmosphere has sheltered life for billions of years, creating a haven where evolution produced complex lifeforms like us. The ozone layer plays a critical role in shielding the biosphere from deadly UV radiation. It blocks 99% of the Sun’s powerful UV output. Earth’s magnetosphere also shelters us.

But the Sun is relatively tame. How effective are the ozone and the magnetosphere at protecting us from powerful supernova explosions?

June 11, 2024June 11, 2024 by Evan Gough

The Nearby Star Clusters Come from Only Three Places

The most well-known open cluster is probably the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters. The Japanese call it the Subaru cluster, and keen observers might recognize its pattern on the Subaru automobile logo. New research shows that the Pleiades and more than 150 other star clusters all originated in only three star-forming regions. Image: By NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2004/20/image/a/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7805481

Many astronomy-interested people know of the Hyades and the Pleiades. They’re star clusters in the Taurus constellation. They’re two out of a handful of star clusters that are visible to the unaided eye under dark sky conditions.

It turns out that these clusters, along with more than 150 other nearby clusters, all originated in only three massive star-forming regions.