Scientists are observing the complete cycle of a supernova for the first time | Science and Ecology | Dr..

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An international team led by the Dunlap Institute of the University of Toronto (Canada) has observed for the first time a Type Ia supernova from the moment it was born, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The research was conducted using the KMTnet (Korean Micro-Telescopes Network) KMTnet in Chile, South Africa and Australia.

As explained by Spanish scientist Lluís Galbany, of the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC) who was involved in the work, SN supernovae are the result of supernovae and Type Ia are thermonuclear explosions of white dwarf stars in a binary. , is the most common species observed.

“They are of vital importance to understanding the origin of minerals and the accelerating expansion of the universe,” stressed the researcher, who noted that despite their importance, there are still outstanding questions about their origins, since the mechanics of the Ia supernova explosion. To be the subject of scientific debate.

Early detection of supernovae

The scientists were led by Yuan Ki Ni, Dae Sik Mun and Maria R.

A supernova caused by colliding stars, as seen from the NRAO Astronomical Observatory

According to the researchers, this supernova, called SN 2018aoz, exploded on March 29, 2018 and they were able to detect it as early as one hour after the first light of its explosion, the closest multi-band type Ia supernova site to date. History.

In addition, they obtained important birth information about how the explosion occurred.

Cycle up to 19 days

“Type Ia supernovae take about 16-19 days from the time of their explosion to reach maximum brightness. If we had instruments looking at the entire sky all the time, we would detect SN in its first moments, but until about four or five years ago this was not possible,” he noted. Galbany.

New projects, such as ASAS-SN, ZTF, or ATLAS, use relatively small telescopes to survey the entire sky more often and can find things that did not exist earlier than previously possible.

“Before that – as defined – it was a significant milestone for SN discovery seven or nine days after the eruption and now very few can be detected within one to three days after the eruption.”

In this case, that was before that, as the SN was detected from one hour from the first light of its explosion.

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