This is the celestial object “Pa 30” located about 10,100 light years away in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia. The image is created by coloring observation data of X-rays, visible light, and infrared rays, so it differs from what it looks like with the human eye. What do you think this celestial body is, whose structures radiate from the center and resemble fireworks?
[▲Supernovaremnant”Pa30″observedbyNASA’sX-rayspacetelescope”Chandra”(Credit:X-ray:(Chandra)NASA/CXC/UManitoba/CTreturik(XMM-Newton)ESA/CTreturik;Optical:(Pan-STARRS)NOIRLab/MDM/Dartmouth/RFesen;Infrared:(WISE)NASA/JPL/Caltech/;ImageProcessing:UnivofManitoba/GillesFerrandandJayanneEnglish）】
In August 1181, a “guest star” as bright as Saturn appeared in the direction of the constellation Cassiopeia and continued to shine for half a year until February of the following year, 1182. This guest star, recorded in Japanese and Chinese literature including Fujiwara Teika’s “Meigetsuki,” is thought to have been a supernova and is called “SN 1181.”
In fact, Pa 30 is an object that is thought to be a supernova remnant left behind by SN 1181. The Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which operates the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) X-ray space telescope “Chandra,” introduces it as “SNR 1181” (*SNR is in English. (Abbreviation for SuperNova Remnant).
Supernova remnants are celestial bodies observed after a supernova explosion, and it is thought that electromagnetic waves such as visible light and X-rays are emitted as the gas surrounding the exploded star is heated by shock waves. According to CXC, Pa 30’s impressive radial structure is composed of sulfur that is heated and glows in visible light.
Researchers analyzed Pa 30 and found that what left behind this debris may have been a slightly special type of supernova classified as a type Iax. Type Iax is a supernova that is said to be less bright than type Ia, which involves white dwarfs. According to CXC, the supernova explosion that left behind the debris occurred when two white dwarfs merged, but the explosion was incomplete, leaving behind a giant white dwarf after the explosion. This star, located at the center of Pa 30, is said to be one of the hottest stars in the Milky Way galaxy, with a surface temperature of approximately 200,000 degrees Celsius, and is said to have a stellar wind blowing at a maximum speed of approximately 16,000 kilometers per hour.
The images were created using the Chandra Space Telescope (cyan), the European Space Agency’s (ESA) X-ray space telescope “XMM-Newton” (blue), and Hawaii’s comet hunting observation project “Pan-STARRS” (white). Observational data from the Hiltner Telescope (green) at the MDM Observatory in Arizona, USA, and NASA’s infrared astronomical satellite “WISE” (red and pink) were used (*Color names in parentheses are used to color each data. color).
The first image was published by CXC on March 27, 2024.
Source
- CXC – SNR 1181: Stunning Echo of 800-year-old Explosion
Text/sorae editorial department
