Articles for tag: Astrobiology, cosmic radiation, Deep Space, Supernova

a bright blue and red star surrounded by stars

A Supernova From Deep Space May Have Altered Evolution on Earth

Suhail Ahmed

The idea sounds like science fiction: a distant star explodes, and millions of years later, life in Earth’s oceans and on land subtly changes course because of it. Yet over the last decade, a convergence of astrophysics, geology, and biology has turned that wild notion into a serious scientific discussion. Radioactive fingerprints in deep‑sea rocks, ...

This image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5. These are the expanding remains of a star that exploded hundreds of years ago in a double-detonation – the first photographic evidence that stars can die with two blasts. The data were captured with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the VLT. MUSE allows astronomers to map the distribution of different chemical elements, displayed here in different colours. Calcium is shown in blue, and it is arranged in two concentric shells. These two layers indicate that the now-dead star exploded with a double-detonation.

Astronomers Capture First-Ever Double Detonation Supernova in Stunning Detail

Suhail Ahmed

The irrefutable visual proof of a star dying in a spectacular “double detonation,” the explosive death of a star which occurs in twinned strokes, has now been recorded. This event marks the first instance of a white dwarf star undergoing two rapid explosions. The unprecedented finding offers new insights into the supernova remnant SNR 0509-67.5, ...