NASA spots possible remains of massive supernova in the middle of the Milky Way
If the supernova remnant is confirmed, it would be one of the closest to the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
By Marta Hill edited by Claire Cameron
X-rays from Chandra and XMM-Newton, radio data from the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa and optical image from the Pan-STARRS telescopes in Hawaii.
NASA
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NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory captured a dramatic scene about 26,000 light years from Earth. Scientists suspect it could be a supernova remains, the violent shock wave and cloud of debris sent into space after the death of a massive star. Scientists estimate that the possible remnants of the supernova are growing at a rate of three million kilometers per hour and are at least 1,700 years old.
Supernovas are a key element of the galaxy’s ecosystem: when they explode, they release essential elements for the birth of new stars and planets. If confirmed to be a supernova remnant, it would be one of the closest remnants ever discovered in the Universe. supermassive black hole in the central region of the Milky Way.
In the new composite image seen above, the galaxy extends from left to right. The long filaments that are mostly perpendicular to the galaxy are energetic particles moving along magnetic fields. Another image superimposed on data from the James Webb Space Telescope shows a close-up of the potential remnant, located in Sagittarius C, an active star-forming region near the center of the Milky Way.
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A close-up image of Sagittarius C that adds data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to X-ray and X-ray data.
NASA
Scientists believe the object could be the remnants of a supernova, as radiological data suggests there is a “bright blob” inside Sagittarius C. This blob matches many known features of a rapidly expanding supernova remnant, according to a recent study. study in the Astrophysics Journal. The data comes from NASA’s Chandra, as well as the European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton mission, South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope, and the Pan-STARRS telescopes in Hawaii.
The possibilities stay lies inside what is known as the HII region of Sagittarius C. This type of region is a special gas bubble that forms when radiation from hot young stars strips electrons from hydrogen atoms, creating clouds of ionized hydrogen.
This is not the first time that data has suggested the existence of a supernova remnant in Sagittarius C. Older data from NASA mission of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), now retired has hinted at the presence of an expanding shell of gas around Sagittarius C, and the new study strengthens this case. Scientists generally expect to see high levels of specific elements around supernova remnants, which is not the case here. Still, this may be because debris from the explosion has already mixed with the surrounding gas.
The bright blob could also come from a collection of massive stars in the region, but the study authors say this is less likely because it is much brighter than nearby star clusters.
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