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Weird supernova remnant blows scientists’ minds

Fireworks display from rare dying star is unlike anything astronomers have seen.
  1. Shannon Hall
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The supernova remnant Pa 30, which looks almost like a firework exploding in space.

Researchers imaged Pa 30’s fireworks display using an optical filter that is sensitive to sulfur. Credit: Robert Fesen (Dartmouth College)

When dying stars explode as supernovae, they usually eject a chaotic web of dust and gas. But a new image of a supernova’s remains looks completely different — as though its central star sparked a cosmic fireworks display. It is the most unusual remnant that researchers have ever found, and could point to a rare type of supernova that astronomers have long struggled to explain.

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Nature 614, 206 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00202-1

References

  1. Fesen, R. A., Schaefer, B. E. & Patchick, D. Preprint at https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.04809 (2023).

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