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Astronomy Day. The Complete Star Atlas. Just a few decades ago, Supernova A was temporarily visible to the naked eye. But ancient astronomers also witnessed a number of these "guest stars" pop up in our night sky. Supernova G SN Supernova recorded in rock art? Supernova 3C Seen by ancient Asian astronomers. SN Tycho's Supernova. SN Kepler's Supernova. What are stellar-mass black holes? A deluge of blinking lights is changing how astronomers work.
Snapshot : Live fast, die young. A nearby supernova could have caused the Devonian mass extinction. Hot 'blob' points to a neutron star lurking in Supernova A.
In addition to its fast expansion, the radio signals the remnant is emitting seem to be getting brighter. This is the first time this brightening has been seen in remnants, says Reynolds. Its cause is unknown, but studying it could yield information on how the supernova's shock wave energizes electrons.
Previously, the youngest-known remnant in the Milky Way was Cassiopeia A, which exploded some years ago. Astronomers have caught stellar explosions in the act in other galaxies, but can only follow the light of a supernova for a few years. The new find could help illuminate what happens in the first few hundred years after a star explodes. The last naked-eye discovery of an exploding star in the Milky Way was in Sometimes called Kepler's star, the supernova was brighter than Jupiter when first seen.
Reynolds, S. Green, D. Download references. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Supernova explosions in the Universe. Reprints and Permissions. Courtland, R. Milky Way's youngest supernova found. Nature Download citation. For example, the Cassiopeia A nebula is a remnant of a supernova that went off about years ago—and yet nobody saw it. So what gives? Why aren't we seeing more supernova? According to the research, it all comes down to location, location location.
Most supernovae occur in the thin, star-filled disk of the galaxy. And yet that's where most of the dust is—dust that is exceedingly good at blocking light signals. Similarly, the core of our galaxy hosts many more supernovae than average… and a lot more dust. In order to be observable to the naked eye, the supernova has to occur in just the right location in the galaxy: close enough and with a clear enough view.
Combining these effects with the estimated supernova rate reproduces humanity's written historical record of observable events.
And yet, there's a catch. The astronomers ' model predicts that most of the naked-eye supernovae should occur near the direction of the galactic center. But most of the recorded supernovae don't happen near there at all. It could be that the impact of spiral arms, which can trigger their own round of star formation and associated supernovae, play a role, but that will require further investigation.
So when do we get to see another light show? As to when that will occur… well, that's purely up to chance. Explore further. More from Astronomy and Astrophysics. Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form.
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