Astronomers have traveled back in time to the explosion of this star!

Astronomers used to use this type of supernova to measure distances in the universe. But the goal was very different from their interest in the SNR 0519 supernova in particular. Because by combining the data on it that several tools brought back, they hoped they could go back in time.

The Large Magellanic Cloud is a small spiral galaxy, our own satellite Milky Way. It’s hiding – rather badly because it’s still visible toeyeeye naked – in constellationconstellation From’Southern HemisphereSouthern Hemisphere from bream. About 160 thousand light yearslight years from our land. It is exactly in this dwarf galaxydwarf galaxy that the restthe rest from one SupernovaSupernova Draw the attention of NASA researchers. By combining the data collected by several instruments, they succeeded in tracing the thread of the evolution history of this star.

The Astronomy scientistsAstronomy scientists I’ve known for a long time that this Supernovabetter known as SNR 0519, was produced by A white dwarfwhite dwarf – Like the one who will eventually become ours SunSun, in 5 billion years. Amazing for those who are known to be the most stable superstar. Except when they start piling up issueissue For a companion star. Or they collide with another white dwarf. Then a thermonuclear explosion occurs and a cloud of debris shines in the sky for several weeks. Formation of a Type Ia supernova, as researchers call it.

This type of supernova is not rare. Astronomers also use them as indicators of distance inUniverseUniverse. Because they all tend to produce about the same amount of light. This means that if one supernova appears to us weaker than another, it is because it is far from our Earth.

Data from multiple tools

In an attempt to determine when the deadly explosion that led to the SNR 0519 supernova occurred, astronomers from NASANASA The collected data was collected by the Observatory X rayX ray Chandra, by Hubble Space Telescope With a space telescope InfraredInfrared Spitzer. For a more easy reading, they colorized the X-ray images energyenergy Medium-energy green X-rays are blue and high-energy X-rays are purple. When these X-rays overlap, rendering appears white. Optical data is colored red.

The researchers first wanted to determine how to do this SpeedSpeed The material was moving in the SNR 0519 shock wave. Thanks to the images taken by Hubble between 2010 and 2020. They estimated the speed of movement of the debris of the supernova at 6-9 million kilometers per hour! Which leads to the conclusion that the light of the explosion reached our Earth at the earliest, about 670 years ago. entirely Hundred Years War. But astronomers believe that MaterialMaterial It may have slowed down since the explosion and its light has recently reached us.

The hypothesis seems to be confirmed by observing the brightest regions in the X-rays, where the slowest moving substances are located. Although there is no X emission associated with the fastest moving materials. So part of the shock wave must have hit a GasGas Dense surrounds the supernova, effectively slowing it down.