Last night astronomers were able to detect a supernova inMessier 82 ( M82 ) , some 12 million light - yr away from Earth . This might not go too exciting , but this supernova , named PSN J09554214 + 6940260 , just happens to be incredibly close and has the potential to provide ton of info about unvoiced - to - study dark get-up-and-go . Steve Fossey of University College London seems to be thefirst to announcethe discovery with several astronomers around the globequickly confirming the sighting .
Messier 82 ( M82)is also known as the Cigar Galaxy and is locate about 12 million light year by in the constellation Ursa Major . While 12 million light years seems like a huge distance ( and do n’t get me wrong ; it is ) , it is jolly darn close when dealing with thing on a cosmic scale . This is the tightlipped supernova sinceSN 1987A , which was only 168,000 light years away and could be seen with the unaided oculus .
The supernova is separate as aType Ia. Before the superstar exploded , it was a white dwarf star in a binary system . While the star was about the size of it of Earth , it had a heap exchangeable to our sun . Gravity cause it to take on more and more good deal from atomic number 1 gas that it stole from its companion star .
Eventually , the ever - growing livid midget reaches theChandrasekhar limitof about 1.38 solar mass and collapses in on itself , creating an incredible explosion called carbon paper blowup . This runaway spinal fusion reaction generates a mind - boggling amount of energy , approximate to be1 - 2 x1044Joulesand will be about 5 billion times brighter than the sun . There is also a chance that the supernova was stimulate by the collision of two white dwarfs , but astronomers have not been able-bodied to set the cause of the burst quite yet .
Theincredible showisn’t the only affair that has astronomers excited about this supernova : there is possible for astronomers to study dark energy because of this explosion . dark-skinned energy is the “ emptiness energy ” that is thought to be accelerating the expansion of the macrocosm . Gravitational force would belike bring galaxies closer , but they are accelerating away , and at an ever - increasing tempo . obscure energy is thought to be the effect at work . Because dismal free energy can not be observed directly , astronomers must use something with a known brightness ( call a standard cd ) to see evidence of its existence . Bymonitoring the supernova over time , astronomers can observe the alteration in redshift to find how quickly our coltsfoot are running away from one another .
Neutrinos , weakly interacting subatomic particles , are created from nuclear reactions , just like the I created by a supernova . Neutrinos can be return by Type Ia supernova ( though Type II is much better ) butunfortunately M82 is too far awayand the physicist at theIceCube Neutrino Observatorywould not be capable to limit which , if any , neutrinos they encounter originated from the nova .
If you live in an country that is clear and dark enough to see the stars , be indisputable to bet up and see to it out the show . It can be see anywhere from the northerly hemisphere with a good couplet of binoculars or an unpaid telescope . M82 is in the northwestern region of Ursa Major , right on above the " head " of the bear . touch from the drumhead to the isosceles Triangulum of stars . Northeast of the triangle you will rule the star 24 Ursae Majoris with a magnitude of 4.5 . M82 is about two degrees southeast of this whiz . It is somewhat smart properly now and has the potential to become even more luminous in the night sky .
localisation of M82 in sex act to Ursa Major . recognition : Skymania
Before and after shot of M82 . Shorter vulnerability time on the " after " shooting causes it to be blurrier . Credit : E. Guido , N. Howes , M. Nicolini
