remnant | Common News Update

Nov192019 by adminNo Comments

Supernova 1987A: ‘Blob’ hides long-sought remnant from star blast

Science

Scientists believe they've finally tracked down the dead remnant from Supernova 1987A - one of their favourite star explosions.Astronomers knew the object must exist but had always struggled to identify its location because of a shroud of obscuring dust.Now, a UK-led team thinks the remnant's hiding place can be pinpointed from the way it's been heating up that dust.The researchers refer to the area of interest as "the blob"."It's so much hotter than its surroundings, the blob needs some explanation. It really stands out from its neighbouring dust clumps," Prof Haley Gomez from Cardiff University told BBC News."We think it's being heated by the hot neutron star created in the supernova."When telescopes first spotted the explosion...

Astronomers have discovered a 2,000-year-old nova remnant

Science

April 29 (UPI) -- An international team of astronomers has identified the ancient remains of a nova inside a galactic globular cluster. Using the Very Large Telescope's MUSE instrument, scientists located the deceased stellar core glowing near the center of globular cluster Messier 22, which is found inside the constellation Sagittarius, 10,600 light-years from Earth. When a nova is ignited, the hydrogen explodes off the surface of the star, leaving behind a brighter stellar envelop. The brightness of a remnant left behind by a nova can last for a several centuries. Astronomers estimate this particular nova was initially spotted some 2,000 years ago. "The position and brightness of the remains match an entry from 48 BC in an ancient collection of observations by Chinese astronomers," Fa...

ESA's Mars Express finds possible supervolcano remnant

Science

April 13 (UPI) -- ESA's Mars Express has photographed a unique and mysterious geologic structure on the Martian surface.Astronomers aren't sure of the crater's origins. The crater, dubbed Ismenia Patera, may have been created by a meteorite impact. It's also possible the imprint was left behind by an ancient supervolcano.The layout and structural patterns seen in and around Ismenia Patera are different and more complex than the typical impact crater. Uneven lumps of rock are found scattered around the outer edge of the crater.Scientists believe the rocky deposits are debris ejected by neighboring impacts. These miniature impacts have created their own system of gullies inside Ismenia Patera.The crater's floor is dynamic, too, showing signs of movement. The floor is likely composed of a roc...