Scientists announced that they have solved the mystery of a supernova observed in 1987.
A star explosion in our neighboring galaxy was first observed from Earth in February 1987 for four months.
Considering its distance from the Earth, it was estimated that the supernova actually occurred 160 thousand years ago.
The event, in which energy equal to 100 million Suns was released, was recorded as the first supernova visible to the naked eye since 1604 (before the invention of the telescope).
So much dust was formed in the incident that what was at the center of the explosion could not be understood even with the most powerful telescopes.
Recent research with the James Webb telescope of the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirmed that there was a neutron star at the center of this supernova.
It is stated that the neutron star is of enormous density. So much so that it is estimated that a piece the size of a teaspoon weighs 10 million tons.
In the event observed from Earth in 1987, a star called a blue supergiant with a mass of 20 times the Sun exploded.
Massive explosions that bring about the end of stars are called supernovae, and astronomers named the event in 1987 as SN 1987A.
Details of the star were observed and recorded by astronomers before it exploded.
What is known about the death of stars?
The observations made SN 1987A the ideal laboratory for testing the details of theories about how stars die.
But there was a missing piece of the puzzle: What was left after this great flood?
According to theory, stars collapse when they run out of fuel needed for the nuclear reactions that make them shine. The mass of a star is so great that its gravitational force crushes its own atoms, creating the densest matter in the Universe.
This is called a neutron star, but if the star is larger it can also turn into a black hole.
So which one is at issue here? This is an important question for astronomers because supernovae emit heavy elements that enable the formation and support of life in the Universe.
The findings of the research are scientifically Science Astronomers who shared this in their publication say that they have found strong evidence that this is a neutron star.
Professor Claes Fransson from Stockholm University in Sweden, who led the research, says that it is the first time that what is at the center of a supernova has been investigated:
“We now know that there is a compact source of ionizing radiation, most likely originating from a neutron star. We have been looking for this since the moment of the explosion, but we had to wait to confirm the predictions.”
New data indicate that the surface of the neutron star was approximately 100 billion degrees and cooled down to one million degrees.
‘Whether a neutron star was hiding in this dust has remained a mystery for 30 years.’
The team will continue to monitor the supernova area to better understand the details of the explosion.
The data offers the team a chance to track a very early “baby” neutron star and see how it evolves compared to older ones.
In addition to being the most powerful space telescope ever built, the James Webb telescope has equipment that measures at infrared frequencies and thus can see beyond the space dust that has long blocked our vision.
Professor Mike Barlow from UCL University in the UK says that although there are indirect clues, the James Webb telescope has obtained the “first direct evidence” that it is a neutron star:
“Whether a neutron star is hiding in this dust has remained a mystery for more than 30 years, and it’s exciting that we’ve solved it.”
Data provided by the James Webb telescope were analyzed by 34 scientists from 12 countries. Scientists who found the light originating from the atoms of the elements argon and sulfur determined that it came only from the radiation of a neutron star at the center of the supernova.
There is no direct image of the neutron star, but Dr. According to Robert Massey, no other explanation for these results seems possible:
“If we’re lucky, in the next few years we may get a decent view of the neutron star, even from its center, giving us a relatively close look at the early lives of these interesting objects.”
2024-02-24 06:38:03
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