2023-06-11 16:01:05
A stellar explosion appeared in the sky of outer space to be picked up by a telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, which was in a position that allowed it to photograph the effects of the cosmic explosion, scientifically known as the term “supernova.” The “supernova” occurs when a star explodes strongly at the end of its life cycle.
Japanese astronomer Koichi Itagaki first observed this starburst within the spiral arms of the Pinwheel galaxy on May 19. Itagaki, an avid hunter for such cosmic phenomena, detected more than 80 starbursts using his observatory in the mountains outside Yamagata, Japan. This stellar explosion or “supernova”, called SN 2023ixf, is the closest it has been in five years.
The Pinwheel galaxy is located in the constellation Ursa Major, regarding 21 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy faces the Earth face to face, showing its amazing spiral structure in addition to nearly a trillion stars.
The spiral arms of the galaxy are full of nebulae, which are the areas where stars are born, and they stand out in an area in the pink light of the captured image, and the blue points of light in the image taken by the Hawaii telescope reflect the group of glowing young stars.
Shining bright blue in one of the galaxy’s spiral arms at the bottom left of the image, the new starburst is believed by astronomers to be a type II starburst, as it occurs when a massive star, which can be between eight and fifty times the mass of our Sun, exhausts its supplies. Nuclear fuel, it collapses and explodes, and it is the second stellar explosion observed in the Pinwheel galaxy in 15 years.
Astronomers are using telescopes to observe the newly discovered starburst to better understand how stars explode and to track how the explosion’s brightness and fading evolve over time.
The new image of the starburst effect captured by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii marks the observatory’s first return to scientific observations following a seven-month hiatus. The telescope’s primary mirror was damaged in October while it was moving, which led to cracking of the telescope’s edge.
(Ashley Strickland-CNN)
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