Astronomers have discovered the potential remnants of an ancient stellar explosion just a few dozen light-years from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton satellite.
This composite image integrates X-rays from the Chandra and XMM-Newton missions (represented in blue) along with radio data from the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa (in red). It also includes optical images from the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii. Image credits: NASA / CXC / UCLA / Zhu et al. / ESA / XMM-Newton / PanSTARRS / MeerKAT / CSA / STScI / SAO / L. Frattare & P. Edmonds.
Recent X-ray data from the Chandra and XMM-Newton missions suggest a new supernova remnant candidate approximately 26,000 light-years from Earth.
The data revealed a ‘clump’ of X-ray radiation embedded within a larger cloud of expanding gas, likely remnants of a giant star that underwent a supernova explosion, according to the astronomers’ report.
This structure exists within a gas bubble (referred to as an HII region) surrounding a massive young star, where hydrogen has been stripped of its electrons.
This gas bubble is identified as Sagittarius C, which emits bright radio signals.
If confirmed as a supernova remnant, it is expanding at an estimated speed of 3.2 million kilometers per hour (2 million miles per hour) and is believed to be at least 1,700 years old.
Previous observations from NASA’s SOFIA mission indicated a shell of gas encircling Sagittarius C, suggesting a past stellar explosion in this region.
The long filaments visible in radio images are primarily generated by high-energy particles navigating along magnetic fields perpendicular to the galactic plane, according to the researchers.
A star’s fusion process creates elements from hydrogen and helium, which were plentiful at the universe’s onset.
When a star reaches the end of its life and explodes as a supernova, the newly formed elements are expelled into interstellar space, providing materials for the formation of new stars and planets.
The research team analyzed X-ray data to detect signs of increased abundance of critical elements in the debris, which could indicate they were ejected by an explosive stellar event.
No enhancement was observed, suggesting that the stellar debris may have already begun to mix with the surrounding gas.
Alternatively, the X-ray clump could originate from a gathering of massive stars in the vicinity; however, this scenario is deemed unlikely, as the X-ray emission from this blob is over ten times brighter than known clusters with bright, massive stars, according to the scientists.
Refer to their published study in the April 16th issue of the Astrophysical Journal.
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Zhu Zhenlin et al.. 2026. Diffuse emission of X-rays in the Sagittarius C complex. APJ 1001, 197; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae547c
Source: www.sci.news
