About 6,500 light-years from Earth lies a zombie planet covered with long tendrils of hot sulfur. A star exploded into a supernova about 900 years ago, forming these tendrils surrounding the now-dead star. New observations reveal the three-dimensional structure and movement of this debris. (source)
“This is part of the puzzle in understanding this very strange phenomenon,” says astronomer Tim Cunningham from Harvard University and the Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The team shared their discovery on November 1st in the Astrophysics Journal Letter.
Chinese and Japanese astronomers first observed this event in 1181, calling it a “guest star.” However, the remnants, now known as the Pa 30 Nebula, were only discovered by modern astronomers in 2013.
The remnants of the supernova, Pa 30, appear to be of type 1a, involving a white dwarf that exploded but some stars survived. What’s unique is the spiky filaments extending approximately 3 light years in all directions, which is unlike any other supernova nebula.
Cunningham and his colleagues observed the nebula using a telescope at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii to study the movement of the filaments. They found the system structured “like a three-layer onion,” with each layer playing a specific role in the overall structure.
The mystery remains surrounding how these filaments formed and how they have maintained such straight lines over centuries. One theory suggests the shock wave from the explosion sculpted the material into spikes, but further research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Source: www.snexplores.org
