[ad_1] In 2016, astronomers spotted the brightest supernova ever observed. They watched as the supernova, named SN2016aps, continued to emit radiation for more than 1,000 days. Today, in a paper published in Nature, they describe how this “extremely energetic supernova” could help them understand the universe’s evolution and the formation of the most massive stars. […]
Category: supernova
A star died violently and left behind this ‘fluffy’ ball
[ad_1] Recently, NASA took another look at SN 1572 using the 20-year-old, still functioning Chandra X-ray Observatory. Scientists were keen to figure out what caused the lumpy knots and threads that make it look like a giant dust bunny. SN 1572 exploded in what’s called a Type 1a supernova that happens when a dense white […]
‘Cannonball’ pulsar points to the supernova that formed it
[ad_1] Pulsars are superdense neutron stars that form out of massive supernovae. They can only be found when their electromagnetic beams points directly to Earth like a nuclear-powered lighthouse. Pulsars have been found to rotate as fast as 1.6 milliseconds, or 38,500 rpm. They pick up the angular momentum of the massive stars that formed […]