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Spitzer Stares into the Heart of New Supernova in M82

By Guest PostFebruary 27, 2014Sciencecigar galaxy, galaxy m82, heart, m82, mansi kasliwal, NASA, new supernova, sn 2014j, spirits, spitzer, spitzer space telescope, standard candles, stellar explosion, theoretical models

The closest supernova of its kind to be observed in the last few decades has sparked a global observing campaign involving legions of instruments on the ground and in space, including NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. With its dust-piercing infrared vision, Spitzer brings an important perspective to this effort by peering directly into the heart of the aftermath of the stellar explosion.

Dust in the supernova’s host galaxy M82, also called the “Cigar galaxy,” partially obscures observations in optical and high-energy forms of light. Spitzer can, therefore, complement all the other observatories taking part in painting a complete portrait of a once-in-a-generation supernova, which was first spotted in M82 on Jan. 21, 2014. A supernova is a tremendous explosion that marks the end of life for some stars. (more…)

Exploding Star Missing From Formation of Solar System

By Guest PostDecember 16, 2012ScienceChicago, cosmic cloud, decay, energetic atom, exploding star, formation, gas, haolan tang, iron 60, meteorite, NASA, nicolas dauphas, notion, radioactive isotope, solar system, solar system material, spitzer space telescope, stellar explosion, supernova, time, university

A new study published by University of Chicago researchers challenges the notion that the force of an exploding star prompted the formation of the solar system.

In this study, published online last month in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, authors Haolan Tang and Nicolas Dauphas found the radioactive isotope iron 60 — the telltale sign of an exploding star—low in abundance and well mixed in solar system material. As cosmochemists, they look for remnants of stellar explosions in meteorites to help determine the conditions under which the solar system formed. (more…)

Blowing Up Stars

By Guest PostFebruary 3, 2012Sciencebart bok, big bang, black hole, caltech, cataclysmic explosion, chemical element, corot, david arnett, english astronomer, exotic physics, fred hoyle, gerard kuiper, kepler, mathematical equation, neutron star, rural kentucky, simulation, stellar explosion, steward observatory, supercomputer, supernovae, telescope, type Ia supernovae, universe, university of arizona, university of chicago, violent explosion

*For his discoveries about the lives and deaths of stars, the exotic physics of black holes and the origin of chemical elements, UA Regents’ Professor David Arnett has been honored with the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship.*

What happens when a star dies? How does a black hole form? What makes the chemical elements that form the building blocks of stars, planets and living beings?

Those are the kinds of questions that have fascinated David Arnett, a Regents’ Professor at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory, from an early age. (more…)

NASA Telescopes Help Solve Ancient Supernova Mystery

By Guest PostOctober 25, 2011Sciencebill danchi, brian j williams, chandra xray observatory, chinese astronomers, european space agency, exploding star, guest star, infrared observations, NASA, peaceful death of a star, rcw 86, sky, spitzer space telescope, stellar explosion, sun, supernova remnant, type ia supernova, wide field infrared survey explorer, wise, xmm newton observatory

PASADENA, Calif. — A mystery that began nearly 2,000 years ago, when Chinese astronomers witnessed what would turn out to be an exploding star in the sky, has been solved. New infrared observations from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, reveal how the first supernova ever recorded occurred and how its shattered remains ultimately spread out to great distances.

The findings show that the stellar explosion took place in a hollowed-out cavity, allowing material expelled by the star to travel much faster and farther than it would have otherwise. (more…)

Tag Archives: stellar explosion

Spitzer Stares into the Heart of New Supernova in M82

Exploding Star Missing From Formation of Solar System

Blowing Up Stars

NASA Telescopes Help Solve Ancient Supernova Mystery