2024-02-29 13:24:37
Image source: NASA/JOSEFIN LARSSON
caption,
A purple neutron star has been found at the center of a bright “string of pearls” of superheated gas.
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The explosion of a galaxy not too far from Earth in February 1987 was observable from Earth for several months. and has a brightness with more than 100 million times more energy than our sun. It has been a mystery for some time.
The important thing is that there is still various debris floating in space. made earlier Even the most powerful telescopes cannot confirm that. What was left at the center of the explosion?
Recently, scientists have solved the mystery at the heart of this cosmic explosion. It was found that that was An extremely dense neutron star, it is said that just one teaspoon of a neutron star could weigh up to 10 million tons.
Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock The host of the BBC’s Sky at Night program said researchers had “solved another murder mystery”.
“This is the story of the death of a star. And this mystery remains hidden and shrouded in dust and stellar debris,” she explains.
The explosion occurred from a giant star about 20 times the mass of our Sun. Also known as A blue supergiant star explodes. Or what is known as “Supernova Event” by astronomers call this supernova event “SN 1987A”
This is considered the first supernova event. That can only be observed with the naked eye in 400 years and comes from a star that was captured and detailed by astronomers before it exploded.
Dr. Aderin-Pocock who had previously worked on a project aimed at solving the mysteries of the universe regarding the supernova SN 1987A, said that It used to be a really gigantic star.
“The fact that it can be observed with the naked eye This made this star famous outside of the scientific community. And supernova SN 1987A is also very close and familiar to astronomers. Because it is at a distance that is not very far from Earth. “The scientists were able to capture many details of the star’s life cycle,” she explains.
Image source: BBC NEWS/STELIOS THOUKIDIDES
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Artist’s drawing: A neutron star collapses gravitationally from its own weight. Meanwhile, the atoms that once gave it light are severely compressed.
Astronomers’ observations of supernova SN 1987A This makes it an ideal celestial laboratory. To be used to investigate various theories regarding the death of stars. But there are still important pieces of the puzzle that still need to be answered. That is what was left at the center of this supernova event.
In theory, a star expires when it runs out of fuel in the nuclear reactions that keep it shining. A star’s mass is so great that its gravity compresses its atoms and creates the densest objects in the universe, known as neutron stars. It will become a “black hole”.
But it will become a “neutron star” or “black hole”. This is an important thing that astronomers should know. Because each supernova creates a scattering of heavy elements. which helps in creating and supporting the birth of life in the universe
For this case Researchers writing in the journal Science say they have strong evidence. But it’s still not to the point where we can be 100% confident. that what remains at the center is a neutron star
caption,
A graphic showing the two paths that split after a supernova occurred.
Professor Claes Fransson from Stockholm University in Sweden The leader of the study project stated that This is the first time anyone has been able to verify that. What happens and what is created at the center of a supernova?
“We know that There is a small, centralized source of ionizing radiation that is most likely a neutron star. We’ve been looking for this since the time of the explosion. But we have to wait until we can confirm that. Did it go as expected?”
The latest information indicates that The surface of a neutron star has a temperature of about 1 million degrees Celsius. which has cooled from its original temperature of 100 billion degrees Celsius
newborn star
The team of astronomers will continue to monitor the supernova’s area for further study. To get more precise details about that explosion The data will give astronomers an opportunity to monitor the emergence of early neutron stars. and compare it with other, older stars regarding their evolution.
Observations will be made using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a powerful telescope. that has equipment that can record images from infrared rays Therefore, it is able to see through space dust that has long blocked human vision.
Professor Mike Barlow from UCLA said that although there were many indirect clues, the JWST camera had detected direct evidence for the first time. That was the discovery that it was a neutron star.
“The question is whether it is a neutron star hiding behind that dust or not. It’s been a mystery for more than 30 years, and it’s very exciting when we’re finally able to solve it.”
Important piece of evidence
Thirty-four astronomers from 12 countries analyzed data from the JWST telescope. They discovered beams of light from atoms of elements such as argon and sulfur. It is an element that is created only by the powerful radiation of a neutron star at the center of a supernova.
Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society said that although there were no direct images of the neutron star, But from the information collected It is difficult to explain otherwise.
“If we’re lucky In the next few years We may have a chance to clearly see the neutron star at its center. and get a closer look at this incredible creature in its earliest moments.”
Therefore, even though astronomy sleuths still don’t have complete proof of this star murder mystery, But it must be assumed that they already have important evidence.
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